Unplanned
by LifelongSnitch
Summary: This story follows those rediscovering who they are by rebuilding their lives in the decade after a war that defined them and the new relationships that come with the monumental changes occurring around them. Post-Hogwarts, DH compliant, EWE? Better summary/description in my profile.
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer: Sadly, I own nothing of note except for a very mischievous puppy and delicious coffee beverage that will be long gone by the time anyone reads this. I certainly do not own the **_**Harry Potter**_** franchise. All the rights, in addition to any characters recognizable belong to JK Rowling, Warner Bros. et al. The aforementioned denial of ownership is meant for this prologue as well as any and all subsequent chapters. The following work is for entertainment purposes only and is fueled by a love for the series, so I would not appreciate incarceration. Mmk?**

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February 14, 2007

If Hermione were asked to describe her love life in one word, she'd have to choose 'disappointing.' For a young girl who had experienced and accomplished so much in a very short period of time, her love life was certainly _lacking_. In fact, it had always been this way since the very beginning. First it was Viktor Krum, the Bulgarian quidditch star and all around heartthrob with an unfortunate drooling habit, in the fourth year. Kissing him had never ceased to remind Hermione of an overzealous St. Bernard licking away at her face as if he was trying to commit her features to his memory using only his tongue. It might not have been such a big deal if it wasn't _all _he wanted to do with her; after all he was a teenage boy. He had been so sweet in his pursuit of her that Hermione felt immensely guilty when she had no choice but to break things off with him, but it had to be done. Surprisingly enough, stimulating conversation was not to be had with the seeker whom she had suspected had taken one too many bludgers to the head. This combined with his lamentable intimacy technique and a grasp of the English language which was tenuous at best, meant that things between the pair could definitely _not_ continue further. Of course Hermione's budding feelings for Ron played no small part in her breakup with Viktor. The enthusiasm from what had started out a promising new fling had quickly faded into disinterest. To this day, whenever anybody heard about her short-lived relationship with the Bulgarian seeker Hermione could only muster a weak, inelegant, _"eh" _in response.

Then there was Cormac McLaggen, scumbag extraordinaire. Just thinking about him and his omnipresent tongue darting out of his mouth to slowly lap at his own lips made Hermione desperately want a shower and maybe even some bleach for her brain. She had only dated him in the first place to make Ron jealous, what a mistake that had been. He was hardly the charming, well-connected, talented, handsome boy she had thought he'd be. Nothing was worth suffering through a date with Cormac McLaggen and his jumbo sized ego.

However, neither Krum nor McLaggen had been as disappointing as her relationship with Ronald Bilius Weasley. Hermione had wasted _years _of her life having feelings for him only to have their relationship end abruptly, though even she had to admit it was better that way. Even Hermione had to acknowledge the pattern and type that Rita Skeeter had so astutely written of. She begun to wonder if perhaps she should no longer date quidditch players, no good ever came from it, and she could hardly respect the stupid game anyway. All of her quidditch playing boyfriends had lacked certain essential qualities; maybe it wasn't such a coincidence.

After Ron, each of Hermione's relationships had been more disappointing than the last. This wasn't helped by her so-called 'friends' setting her up with random acquaintances. Ranging from tolerable to ghastly, her would-be suitors did little to move Hermione to anything more than tepid. So, yes, Hermione's love life was massively disappointing.

It wasn't as if Hermione was lonely per se, she had amazing friends and a great job doing what she loved, but she certainly wouldn't have minded having someone with which to share her life. Someone with a keen mind who shared her interests, someone who could challenge her but wouldn't try to change or control her, someone who could love her wholly and completely as she is. Her friends had that, why couldn't she? Though they would protest and declare otherwise, Hermione knew she could no longer rely solely on her friends for companionship. Nearly everyone in her circle from Hogwarts had gotten married, engaged, or had kids, and they didn't need their bushy haired spinster of a friend hanging around them all of the time, desperately hoping to be included. It was just her and Neville now; perhaps they were destined to be single forever, damned to a life of solitary scholarship. Like monks. Tired of thinking such negative thoughts, Hermione's mind wandered to her beloved kneazle, Crookshanks. At the seasoned age of fourteen, he was beginning to slow down, something Hermione wanted to avoid at all cost. She thought a kitten may be able to bring him out of his funk and made a mental note to look into purchasing another kneazle. She briefly thought that two kittens would be even better than the one, they could play together when Crooks wasn't feeling up to it. Plus, she thought it'd be nice to have some activity in her flat and the idea of coming home to a mini pride of cats seemed nice. Hermione mentally sputtered at her train of thought, perhaps she _was _lonely.

Just like that, Hermione's mind had suddenly brought her back to her surroundings and the reasons for said surroundings. She didn't want to be the clichéd single girl drowning her sorrows at a pub on Valentine's Day, but there she was, all by herself, on her third firewhiskey, contemplating her friend's recent engagement. She was happy for Ginny, she really was, but she couldn't help but be a little sad at the prospect of so much change. Losing another friend to marriage was a bittersweet pill for Hermione to swallow. Everyone was officially moving on with their lives, they had husbands and wives and kids, while Hermione had her cats, and Neville Longbottom as a backup plan. She sighed as she realized just how much their lives had changed after the war and just how much change was sure to come. Hermione mindlessly surveyed the pub, seeing nothing but happy couples and festive red and pink heart-shaped decorations, until she was suddenly ripped out of her reverie by a presence taking the seat to her left at the bar.

Hermione turned to meet the familiar grey eyes and ever-present smirk of Draco Malfoy. She knew that smirk; it told her that he had noticed her solitariness and that she would not escape his ridicule tonight. Hermione took a moment to consider that stupid, shifty grin in front of her, it was _always _there. If she didn't know any better, she would posit that perhaps that it's just his face's natural set, but she knew all too well that face's many expressions and the intricacies of his smirks. This one told her that she was in for a long evening if she didn't end whatever scheme he was cooking up in his snakelike mind. Thinking it wise to get whatever he was planning done and over with, Hermione nodded her head in acknowledgment toward the slimy git.

He greeted her with a drawling, "Granger, and how are you this lovely evening?"

"Malfoy." She responded curtly. When she saw the vaguely affronted look on Malfoy's pointy face, Hermione knew her response would do little to satisfy his seemingly sadistic need for a row.

"What are you doing here all alone?" He pressed further. "Would this have anything to do with a certain obnoxious best friend of yours getting engaged, thus leaving you a sad spinster on this most romantic of days? Can't say I blame them though, the sight of you knitting a sweater for your decrepit beast of a cat whilst serenading him must be a deeply unsettling image."

_This_, Hermione thought, _is indeed going to be a very long evening._

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**A/N: Hello and thank you to all who have read this first bit! I hope you'll forgive the lack of action and dialogue but I can assure you it will **_**not **_**stay that way. I merely wanted to illustrate Hermione's headspace and set up several key events before anything important happened. **

**Quick word of warning; the next chapter will take a significant time jump (relapse?) to the events occurring immediately after the war. **

**One more warning; other pairings and characters will be prominently featured. This is first and foremost a Dramione fic, but I just couldn't help myself when it came to pairing everybody off! To the best of my knowledge, I've only let four canon couples (alive at the end of the war) stay together. So expect some new and interesting, hopefully, pairings and sorry if you were a fan of the originals. **

**Sorry for the long A/N, from here on out I'll probably use this space to discuss or clarify what I have written, so if you're not interested feel free to skip them.**

**Please don't hesitate to review; this is the first time I'm publishing any sort of creative writing so any and all feedback or constructive criticism would be greatly appreciated! Thanks again for reading!**


	2. Chapter 1: Hermione

Chapter 1: Hermione

May 21, 1998

The Burrow, once a lively welcoming home filled with laughter and warmth, felt cold and empty. Sure, the Weasleys were present, but they weren't really _there _with one of their own missing. Everything in the house had come to a halting stop while the family took their time to grieve. It was quiet, too quiet. Gone were the laughs and good natured pranks. The playful and sometimes heated fights between siblings had ceased. Even the aroma was different; no longer did the house carry the scent of a welcoming meal prepared with love by the formidable matriarch. The Burrow, along with the family in it, was irrevocably damaged.

Hermione left the kitchen, where everybody had congregated, to give the grief-stricken family some much needed time alone together. As she walked up the stairs to his room, she thought of Ron. She was tremendously proud that he had found it in himself to be a source of strength for his grieving family, the Ron she had previously known was frequently too wrapped up in his own goings on to be in any position to help others. Ron had grown up immensely in the aftermath of the war, he was everything Hermione had always dreamed him to be; strong, courageous, sensitive, and loyal. Unfortunately, she couldn't muster anything more than a brotherly affection for him. She tried, she really, really tried, but being with him didn't give her any of the feelings she's always imagined it would and her schoolgirl crush would no longer be enough for a relationship between the two friends. She felt nothing for him, at least not anything even remotely romantic. After their heat of the moment kiss, the two had unwisely jumped head first into a relationship. It had quickly fizzled after the excitement of first being together. Despite their many differences they were great at consoling each other, so that's what their relationship had turned into; mutual comfort devoid of any real heat or spark. Had it not been for the turmoil surrounding them, she would have realized her mistake and broken up with him long ago, but he needed a friend right now. Hermione couldn't bear to break his heart while he was mourning his brother; the Weasley family was in enough pain. She would just have to stick it out for a little while longer, and hopefully when everything settled down he would understand why they couldn't be together.

Hermione glumly considered the changed atmosphere as she took a seat atop Ron's bed._ This is it_, she thought; the world they had fought for, the world that many had died to bring about. Who could have known that the new world ushered in with the fall of Lord Voldemort would be one filled with sorrow, emptiness, and death? They had _won_, their world was _safe_. So why was there still so much pain? It was truly ironic, she thought, that she had attended more funerals in the last three weeks than she had in her entire life, most of which was spent during the reign of the most powerful dark wizard the world had ever known. She personally ached for every person who was unfortunate enough to lose a loved one in the war, and in her weaker moments she deeply regretted every step that led the fight to the sacred grounds of Hogwarts and around so many young children. Somewhere in the back of Hermione's mind she knew that all of those who stayed and fought at the battle would have willingly given up their lives for the cause they believed in. She also knew that their sacrifices weren't for naught and one day their world would once more be safe _and _calm. One day they may again feel pure, unburdened, relaxation. One day they could be happy. Today, however, was definitely not that day. Today the Weasley family had buried Fred.

One might think that every funeral attended would be easier to sit through than the last, and in some ways it was true; nothing is quite as traumatic as one's first funeral. Hermione thought absently of her Grandmother Anne, the two were very close and losing her shortly before the fourth year had left a significant hole in Hermione's life, one she knew would never be filled. Her grandmother's funeral had been a devastating event but she had at least been able to take some solace in the comfortable routine of preparing for another year at Hogwarts and her life had quickly returned to normal. Now, it seemed as though she wore nothing but black. There was no routine; their world was broken. Their world now was a never-ending cycle of mourning, and this was her new normal. With so many funerals occurring within quick succession of one another, the effect was simply overwhelming. The grief and sadness from each poured directly into the next. This last funeral had been practically unbearable. Hermione had thought that the worst would be the combined Tonks-Lupin service. She'd always shared a special bond with her beloved former professor, and she loved Tonks and her fellow muggleborn father. Seeing the look of complete and utter despair on Andromeda's face while she held the orphaned Teddy that day had been excruciating, a harrowing sight she didn't think she would ever be able to forget. She was wrong though, Fred's funeral affected Hermione in a way she'd never be able to fully describe, and it was easily one of the worst days of her life. Seeing the anguish clear on George and Molly's faces, like the memory of Andromeda's grief, would never leave her. Seeing them mourn Fred had been as uncomfortable to watch as it had been heartbreaking. George, so full of life, was now overcome with grief and a shell of the man he used to be without his other half. Their poor mother had it just as bad; nobody loved like Molly did, and losing one of her babies was almost more than she could handle. Molly, the best mother Hermione had ever known, simply didn't deserve this.

Hermione once more gave into the tears she had been holding at bay, not wanting to burden the Weasleys with her tears when they had plenty of their own. Their family, which had been in many ways her surrogate family, would never be the same without Fred's presence. Hermione couldn't even comprehend what it would feel like to lose a twin or a son. The closest she came to that feeling was when Hagrid had brought Harry's body from the forest, and though it was brief it was the single darkest moment in her life. She didn't know what she would have done if that nightmare was a permanent reality. Now, for many people the nightmares were reality and that knowledge ate away at her. So much had changed; her world was a far cry from the exciting and magical world she'd been so eager to join as a precocious eleven year-old.

As she finally stifled the sobs of what felt like her hundredth outburst today, she noticed a figure entering the room and taking the seat beside her before wrapping his arms around her in a soothing gesture. "Sorry," she said as she wiped the tears from her face and saw that he was alone, "where's Harry?"

"With Ginny," Ron responded solemnly, "she's having a really rough time of it, so they went for a walk."

Hermione immediately felt horrible for indulging her herself when one of her best friends was so broken up. "Poor Ginny. How is the rest of the family holding up?

"Oh, you know, about as expected," he shrugged. At her gesture to continue, he explained further, "Mum's still a wreck. George is so far gone, it doesn't seem like he even sees or hears any of us and when he does he just hugs and cries. Percy is almost just as bad, I think he blames himself for what happened. Dad, Bill, and Charlie are trying their best to keep everybody else's spirits up, but I know it weighs on them too. Dad's really worried about mum though, everyone's said to give her some space and be there for her if she needs us, but it's hard for him to step back. He's got this idea that if there's some sort of normalness around us it'll help, so he's basically transformed himself into mum. Fleur and him are running about cooking and cleaning everything. He even made the family breakfast this morning. It would be scary if it weren't so sad."

"That's very sweet of him, I'm sure she appreciates it. How are you?" she pressed further, hoping he wasn't putting on a brave face for the benefit of others.

"Um… okay, I think. I mean, obviously it's hard to accept that he's really gone, but someone has to be the strong one, right?" he laughed mirthlessly.

"Are you sure you're really okay though? It's understandable if you're still upset." Regardless of their romantic entanglement, they would always be best friends and she wanted him to feel comfortable enough to talk to her about how he really felt.

"I am upset," he clarified, "but I also know that Fred wouldn't want people moping about after him, so I figure I'll pay my tribute to him by keeping the mood somewhat light and being there for everyone. But it's kind of weird, I'd always thought I'd be a mess if anything happened to my family, but I think I'm handling this surprisingly well for having the emotional range of a teaspoon." Hermione laughed lightly at his reminder of what she thought was one of her better insults.

"See, there you go! Finally some laughter, it really does help, doesn't it?" Ron asked, seemingly relieved at the brief moment of levity.

"It does, actually." She agreed with a faint smile.

"We'll all get through this." His voice took on a surprisingly serious quality that she didn't know he was capable of. "Our family is strong enough, we'll pull through. The only one I'm really worried about is George."

They sat together silently for a while, lost in their own thoughts. Ron's shift in demeanor did not go unnoticed by Hermione. She looked at him, he seemed uncharacteristically somber and more than a little nervous. Hermione was about to ask if everything was okay when Ron finally spoke up, "Can we talk?"

"Aren't we talking now?" She asked, trying feebly to lighten the foreboding mood.

"I mean like really talk. About the future." Not knowing where the conversation was heading only knowing that Ron really wanted to say something, Hermione could only nod for Ron to continue.

"It's a couple of things really. First, I wanted to tell you that I'm not going back to Hogwarts in September. I've decided, with Lee, that I'll work at the joke shop if George needs me to. I can't leave, my family needs me. It's bad enough with Fred gone and Ginny will be going back to school too, I think I can be more useful where I am now." Hermione was stunned by his admission, she had always assumed that everyone would return for a proper seventh year when Professor McGonagall had informed them of her plans for the students unable to gain suitable education in the terrible year leading up to the battle. She knew that Ron, and Harry, were having doubts about their futures as aurors, but she thought they'd at least sit their NEWTs just in case.

"Wow," was all she could say "are you sure about this? Have you told your mother?"

"I'm sure. I need to be here. I haven't told mum, but dad, Bill, and Charlie all agree with me. Charlie's even thinking of moving back closer to home. Mum's strong, but she can't lose four kids in one year. Plus, Ginny will feel guilty about leaving if no one else is home with mum. Ginny deserves to go back; I can't take that away from her."

"Well, if you're sure... So you definitely don't want to pursue being an auror?"

"Nah, I think I've seen enough action lately. I could use the break." Hermione could definitely agree with that. She was so looking forward to the start of term, in truth the familiar world of academia couldn't return quickly enough.

"It won't be the same without you, but for what it's worth, I think you're making the right decision." She offered, knowing that this probably _was_ the right path for Ron. Academia had never been his strong suit and his family needed him, his choice was clear and she could hardly blame him.

"Thanks for understanding. And listen, 'Mione, about us –"

"– its fine." Hermione rushed to finish his sentence; she _really_ didn't want him feeling guilty about staying home when she was just earlier contemplating when to breakup with him. "I'm sure we'll figure something out." Ron seemed, somehow, even more nervous. Hermione was beginning to understand the source of his discomfort.

"Well, that's kind of the second part of what I wanted to talk about. I think it's possible that maybe before, we built this up to be something more than it is, and it's not really what either of us really want anymore." Hermione was surprised for the second time by Ron's confession. Had he really felt the same way as she did this whole time? Seeing Ron's sheepish grin, she thought that might be the case.

"I think you're right." He visibly relaxed at her admission; the topic had clearly been weighing on him. For the briefest of moments she was happy that he was the one to end things, but then she felt guilt for it. Trying to ease the awkward tension in the room, Hermione asked, "It was a little bit bizarre between us, right?"

"Yeah, completely. You know, I really do appreciate how much you've been here for me. I don't want you to think that I was just using you, I really do love you. You and Harry are my best friends and I would never want to threaten that."

"I understand," Hermione said, she didn't want him to feel bad about breaking up with her; this was the best decision for them. "I'm actually relieved to be completely honest. Is that awful of me?"

"Well don't spare my feelings," Ron joked, "it's not bad, we're just too good of friends and I want us to stay that way. Let's be honest, if we were together for a long time we'd end up killing each other. Probably, you'd kill me."

"Definitely. Sorry, but I would." Hermione joked.

"I knew it. So, we're fine? No hard feelings?" Ron asked, still nervous but slowly turning back to normal.

"None at all. Friends?" she offered her hand in a conciliatory handshake which he accepted. "Now tell me the truth, did the more 'intimate' aspects of our relationship become incredibly awkward or was that just me?" Ron scoffed in jesting offence to her question.

"So I'm not as good as Krum?" Ron asked.

Hermione was happy they could joke around again and she almost couldn't believe how quickly the atmosphere between them had gone back to normal; it gave her hope that perhaps there really was a light at the end of the tunnel. Glad to have her friend back but unwilling to let his implications besmirch her good name; Hermione cuffed the back of Ron's head.

"Bloody hell! What was that for?"

Hermione merely laughed in response as Ron rubbed the back of his head, trying to alleviate the pain from her brutal assault.

Ron sighed, "So what's next?"

"I need to go to Australia." She had no idea how to go about finding her parents, and she didn't know if their memories would come back, but she needed to find them.

"You know, I can come along for a little bit if you need some friendly company, I'm sure Harry will go too." Ron suggested. Hermione was grateful for his offer but she knew that she couldn't take Ron away from his family, and truth be told she could use some space.

"I think this is something I have to do alone." She said. Ron simply nodded in understanding. "I should get going, please give the family my best and will you let Harry know that I've gone home?"

"Sure, come here." Ron held his arms open for Hermione to step into his embrace, "If I don't see you before you leave please be safe. I love you."

Hermione smiled at his admission before disengaging from the hug and apparating to her temporary home of Number 12 Grimmauld Place.

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**A/N: I'm not completely happy about this chapter, but it will have to do because I don't feel like rewriting it fifteen times. I hope I didn't make Ron look like a jerk, it always bugs me when I see hardcore Ron bashing. He's not my favorite character, but I don't think he's a monster. Breaking up with someone after a funeral isn't really the nicest thing but it had to be done. I really don't think that Hermione and Ron would have a satisfying relationship in any scenario, there's too much history between the pair and ultimately I don't see them as being terribly compatible. I hope this, or at least their reasons, came through in the chapter.**

**Thanks for reading and please don't hesitate to leave a review; all questions, comments, and complaints (within reason) are welcome! I'm worried that I've read this fic too many times and it's been in my head for so long, that the things I think are clear might not be so clear to fresh eyes. I'd like to improve my writing, so feedback would be wonderful!**


	3. Chapter 2: Hermione

Chapter 2: Hermione

May 21, 1998

Hermione was reading in the lounge, half-asleep, when Harry returned from the Burrow that night. He walked into the room wearing a sad and dreary look on his face that had become his default expression. He did, however, laugh lightly when he took in the scene around him. Hermione was forcing herself to stay awake all the while pouring over one of the many books on memory charms stacked around her in haphazard piles. Harry noticed the subject matter and quickly deduced Hermione's current mission, he offered her a sad smile as he wordlessly sat down next to her on the sofa and patted her shoulder.

Hermione loved many things about the young man beside her; he was truly more of a brother than just a friend after everything they had gone through together. Most of all, however, she loved that he understood her perfectly. He knew what she was preparing to do and the emotional toll it would take on her when the inevitable confrontation between she and her parents took place. He knew she had chosen this particular moment to prepare as a means of distraction, and that the trip would be a similar distraction in addition to being a chance to escape her surroundings for even just a few days. He knew how hard the past year had been on her, how the deaths had affected her. He knew of, and shared, many of her memories, nightmares, and regrets of the past seven years. He knew it all, yet he didn't force her to discuss any of it because he knew she couldn't bear to do so. He didn't wait for her to have an emotional breakthrough or cry into his chest. He knew she wasn't that girl. He didn't try to hug her pain away, nor did he offer any meaningless words or empty promises when he knew that they would mean nothing. He understood how to comfort her when she needed it, and he knew the task rarely included hugs. Hermione was often grateful that he was even less demonstrative than she was, hugs had stopped being reassuring so long ago.

"Australia, huh?" He said simply. She also loved how direct he was; he always got straight to the point. I didn't take him ages to build up to what he was wanted to say.

"Australia." She replied just as simply.

"How bad do think you think they'll react once they know what happened?" He asked.

"I've not the faintest idea, though I can't imagine it will be positive." Hermione truthfully had no inkling as to how her parents will react to the knowledge that she had erased their memories of her and sent them off to Australia, all so she could fight in a war and potentially get herself killed in the process. Her parents knew hardly anything of the wizarding world; they knew nothing of Voldemort, the war, or wizard politics, and knew very little about blood status issues and the people in their daughter's life. They were completely in the dark about her world and that was the way they had preferred it.

Richard and Jean Granger had always had high hopes for their daughter; she would get the highest marks at the best schools and then attend a prestigious university where she would excel. She would then naturally find gainful employment in an esteemed field of medicine; they weren't picky about which field. She would settle down with a suitable young man from a nice family at no earlier than twenty-five but certainly no later than twenty-eight. She would then have at least two but no more than three children before she reached thirty. Her children would attend the very best schools, and so on. As fate would have it, the Grangers' dreams for their daughter had been dashed when Minerva McGonagall had sat them down on Hermione's eleventh birthday and explained that their bright young daughter possessed the gift of magic and was, in fact, a witch. Richard and Jean were not too keen to about the idea of Hermione joining the secret magical community and she picked up on that fact almost immediately, of course they were not subtle in their disapproval. Hermione had always thought that her parents hoped she would simply grow out of her magic and live out the rest of her life as a normal person, as they had planned. The relationship between parents and daughter had naturally deteriorated due to this strain but they were still her parents and the only family she had left. So when the war came, Hermione felt that she had owed them the chance to escape. It wasn't their war and she would not allow them to be in danger because of her. Merlin knew how they'd react when they learned that their only child had risked her life for the world they had so resented.

Harry, sensing Hermione's trepidation, offered what little support he could. "I'd offer to come along, but I'm not sure that'd make it much better," he joked. They both knew what little love her parents had for her friends, most of all him. The Grangers didn't know much about Hermione's world, but they knew about the famous Harry Potter and had astutely inferred that an association would only cause danger for their poor daughter. What they didn't know was that Hermione had known full well of the danger of his friendship, and had taken it head on.

"Somehow, I don't see that helping," she laughed along with him, relishing the chance for both of them to laugh free and unburdened.

"Ron told me," Harry said after their laughter had quieted, "how are you?"

Hermione didn't want any sympathy, especially not from him. Harry was well aware of the situation between his two best friends and how Hermione felt. "I'm fine; you know perfectly well that it was bound to happen sooner or later. Though I'm not sure I fancy being broken up with." Hermione noted wryly.

"Sorry about that, but _you_ weren't going to be able do it anytime soon. Ron didn't really say much about it, but he seemed okay. Are you two going to be able to be around one another without resorting to hexes?" Harry asked timidly. "I don't like being pulled in the middle of your fights."

"You'll be fine. I promise, it was all very amicable between Ronald and I."

"That's good. So when are you leaving? Ginny heard about you and Ron and is insisting on a girl's night so she can get to the bottom of what's happened between the two of you." Harry indulged himself in a brief affectionate smile when he spoke of his sort-of-girlfriend, before his face turned gloomy again. The pair were working towards getting back together, but the aftermath of a war and a schedule of constant funerals hardly lent itself to casually dating. Hermione had always liked the couple, and she had hoped they would find their way back to one another soon.

Hermione laughed, "I'll be sure to see her before I leave, but it's honestly not that big of a deal, we had feelings for each other and now we no longer have them. It's quite simple." She explained, already tired of discussing her 'breakup', if it could even be labeled as such. "How was she when you left? Ron said she was having a hard time?"

"I think she'll be okay eventually, after she's had some space. She's too strong to let all of this break her. She just had a bad day, funerals are hard, you know?"

"Yes, yes they are." Hermione concurred wholeheartedly. Funerals were an all too common occurrence lately. When she looked over to Harry, he appeared to be deep in thought, but she knew what he was really doing. He was blaming himself for what happened to the Fred.

The war had, predictably, taken a toll on the young man and he appeared resigned to take personal responsibility for every death cause by Voldemort and his death eaters. Harry never listened to those who told him otherwise, except for Hermione, she alone understood his pain. She also understood that, unlike her, sometimes he needed input from others.

"It wasn't your fault." She said to him, looking him square in the eyes. Unveiled sadness quickly took over his expression. Harry would never forgive himself, this Hermione knew, but she would never stop trying to make him understand.

"What if I had never-"

"It wasn't your fault." Hermione repeated firmly. "Fred chose to fight for the Order. He chose to fight against Voldemort because he believed in what he was doing. He would have fought regardless of who "The Chosen One" was. The Weasleys would never shy away from the war; he was always going to fight. We _all_ chose to fight by your side, weren't your army. You didn't force anyone to stay, we chose to, and we all knew the risks. Fred, George, Ginny, the rest of the Weasleys, our professors, Hagrid, Professor Snape, Tonks, Lupin, Ron, and myself. We all _chose _to fight with you, you are of no fault."

"It's just… too much. Being close to me has caused so many people so much pain. What's wrong with me?" Harry asked with tears forming in his eyes. That sight would never fail to make Hermione's own eyes prickle.

"Absolutely nothing. Nothing is wrong with you. Voldemort chose you; he's the one that caused this. Not you." Hermione swore with vehemence, but Harry was not so easily talked out of his worries. He was remarkably stubborn, but this was different. Hermione could no longer stay silent as he vilified himself and blamed himself for what she willingly signed up for.

"Can you really say that though?" Harry asked desperately. "People fight for me and then they die. Because of me. Look at what they did to Sirius to get to me. To Moody. To you, Hermione, they _tortured_-"

"I don't regret it. I'd suffer again if it was necessary." Hermione promised. Being under the cruciatus curse had caused Hermione extreme duress, psychological trauma that she wasn't sure she could ever recover from, and '_mudblood'_ was still faintly etched in her forearm. Yet, Hermione knew that she would do it again to give Harry even the slightest chance of survival. "What _they _did was terrible. You didn't do it and you didn't ask me to lie to Bellatrix for you, you can't blame yourself. And yes, some of us fight for you, but that's what you do when you love someone. You wouldn't hesitate to do the same for anybody else, I know that. You are a good man Harry. You have given me so much, a home and the closest thing I've had to a real family. I would do anything for you." Hermione was now tearful again, "You have been my best friend since first year. My first real friend. I don't have any siblings, or cousins, and I don't have any muggle friends from my primary school. You are _the_ most important person in my life and I can't bear to see you in so much pain and I cannot allow you blame yourself anymore. I just can't. You have to understand that I will always fight beside you, whether you ask me to or not."

"Thanks." Harry said with a watery smile. Hermione knew that sometimes, no matter what was said, Harry couldn't forgive himself, but she hope against hope that what she said would sink in eventually.

* * *

June 11, 1998

Hermione was glad to be back in London and couldn't wait to see her friends after missing them for three weeks. She had seen to it that her parents were safely returned home after their 'holiday', and now she was finally home. It would be a while before she would see them again. Australia had been… difficult, to put it mildly. The plain and simple truth was that Hermione would never have a great relationship with her parents. Especially not now. Harry and the Weasleys were her family and she desperately needed their company. Harry rushed into the room as soon as he heard the door open and enveloped Hermione in a rare hug.

"You're back! So how did it really go?" Harry asked somewhat worriedly, the two had communicated briefly through the floo but he was clearly not convinced that everything was as fine as she said it was.

"It was-"

"The truth." Harry playfully interjected.

"Dreadful." Hermione admitted, there was no use lying to him.

"What happened?"

"Nothing too terrible, they just don't understand. If anything, it's driven an ice cold wedge in our relationship." Hermione reflected sadly.

Finding her parents had taken some time, but when she had found them she quickly discovered that locating them and reversing the complicated spell had, in fact, been the easy part. She was simply not prepared for their reactions. She anticipated that they'd be worry about her, perhaps even be a little angry, but she wasn't prepared for such strong disapproval. She knew they wouldn't be happy about her fighting in a war at seventeen, but she thought that they would at the very least understand her actions. They did not. They were even angrier when they discovered just how much about her world she didn't tell them. In the interest of full disclosure, the last week of her trip was spent filling them in on every important detail of what happened. Hearing everything had seemed to solidify their assertion that Hermione ought to leave the magical world behind causing many arguments between her and her parents. She didn't think that her relationship with her parents would ever be able to come back from this and this knowledge saddened her greatly.

"I'm famished, want to grab a bite?" Hermione offered, preferring to change the subject rather than ruminate over her parents and their disapproval.

* * *

"That's rough, I'm sorry they reacted that way." Harry said after Hermione had finished relaying the details of her trip to him. She knew he meant it; Harry didn't have to say anything for Hermione to know that she had his full support. She didn't need long speeches, all she needed was a reassuring presence, and that was Harry.

"Well, it's over now. Did I miss anything exciting here? Hermione asked eager once more to talk about anything other than her parents.

"Actually, yeah. I had lunch with Andromeda yesterday. She wants me to take Teddy." Hermione's eyebrows shot up into her forehead in disbelief.

"Take him… where?" She asked, she knew the answer but needed to hear him say it.

"Take him home. Permanently. As in raise him." Harry clarified as his panic grew with every word.

"Oh my. What did you tell her?"

"Nothing. She said to get back to her in a couple of days. What do I do?" Harry asked frantically.

"What did she say exactly?"

"She basically said that she couldn't handle raising him, and that he deserved a better life than what she could give him. She was a mess too, she was so broken up about having to ask for help and she kept saying that she was failing her family again. She told me to think it over before I could even say a word. She did tell me I wouldn't be his legal guardian until I turn eighteen though, but she would want him to live with me straight away."

"Poor Andromeda. I can't imagine her life right now, everything she's lost." Hermione said as she envisioned how Andromeda must feel. Andromeda was a remarkably strong woman that Hermione had always admired, but now Hermione wasn't sure if Andromeda's strength would endure. Andromeda had lost about as much as one person could in a war; her husband, her only child, her son-in-law, and her cousin shortly before. Not to mention the fact that her family had been staunch supporters of Voldemort and her sister was one of the most terrifying and reviled death eaters that ever existed. Sure, she had friends who would support her, but Andromeda Tonks could never regain what was lost.

"Have you spoken with Ginny?" Hermione asked. Things between the pair were just getting back on track after the war, this could definitely put a damper on their relationship but Hermione knew that Ginny would, at the very least be sympathetic to Harry and Teddy.

"No, I wanted to wait to tell her after I've decided. She's got enough to deal with, I don't want to make her feel like she needs to give up her life and become a mother too." Harry said. Hermione didn't think that was the _best_ course to take, but she held her tongue. Harry would always be high-handed when it came to his relationships.

"So, what have you decided?" Hermione asked, trying to understand what Harry was thinking.

"I don't know. You should have seen her, Hermione, she really was a wreck. The thing is I don't know that I'd be much better. Look at me; my life is constantly a mess, I can't bring a baby down with me. I want to have him here, I do. I love him and he deserves a happy and stable life. But do I really seem like I'm capable of being his father? At least she's his grandmother. Or, what about Bill? He's married and has a job. Lupin liked him." Harry offered feebly. There it was. Hermione then realized that it was Harry's fear that was keeping Teddy from him. It wasn't that he didn't want to take responsibility for the child; it was that he didn't believe he could do it. Though she could hardly blame him for his apprehension, becoming a parent at such a young age would be a daunting charge, but Hermione knew that Harry would be a great father. She didn't know how she knew it, but she knew that this was the right thing for her best friend.

"Remus, and Tonks, chose you not Bill. There's a reason for that. He knew that one or both of them could die at any moment, but he chose you. _You're _his godfather. I think you should do it." Hermione said boldly to Harry's complete and utter shock. "Honestly, I think you would be the best option." Hermione truly believed it. Andromeda could simply not care for an infant in her current state. Bill and Fleur, though good people, were simply not an option. Harry, as his godfather, would undoubtedly do the best he could with his godson. She could plainly see that Harry was lost after the war, and she knew how much he cared for the young orphan. Harry needed a new purpose, a reason to live, and Teddy needed a home. They could have in each other the family they were so cruelly denied. She wasn't so foolish that she didn't see its potential problems, but she had absolute faith that it would work out quite well for the both of them.

"I, what?! Are you serious? Have you gone mental? I thought you would be the one to tell me not to do it. That I was too young or that I'm unprepared. How would I be the 'best option'?"

"Remember in the third year when you almost got to live with Sirius? How excited you were? He had just escaped from Azkaban, he had no home, no job, and you had just met him. Yet having him near made you feel more connected to your parents. Did it not?"

"That's… That's completely different." Harry swore, however, she could tell she'd gotten through to him.

"How? A young orphaned boy living with an unfit caretaker has a chance to live with his godfather. Uunlike Sirius, however, _you_ have a stable home ready for him."

"I lived in a cupboard before, Hermione." He reminded her dryly. "I'm sure Andromeda has a crib. It's not like she's abusive or negligent. How would I be better than his real family? I'm only seventeen! I don't know anything about babies."

"You _are _his real family, not by blood, but that doesn't mean anything. Andromeda can't take care of him, and you know that, she wouldn't have come to you if she could. It must have taken a lot for her to admit it to herself. You'll learn how to take care of him, all new parents have to learn. I admit, it's not an ideal situation, but do you _really_ think you'll be able to tell Andromeda that you can't do this?" Harry calmed down drastically at Hermione's question.

"No... I can't do that to them. I can't turn my back on him, and I can't let Lupin down like that. What am I going to do? I've only ever held him three times. He's only two months old. I don't know the first thing about children or parenting. How am I going to be father? I never really had one, I won't know how to be one. That's another thing, I _won't _be his father. Not really. What will he even call me?" Harry asked somewhat manically.

"He's only a few weeks old; I don't think you should worry about titles just yet. You have some time to decide what he should call you; he doesn't understand many words or concepts yet. As far as not having a father, your father has always inspired you, why would this be any different? He may not have taught you how to ride a broom, but he's taught you so much more, and you have had other significant father figures in your life as well. Sirius and Lupin. Mr. Weasley. Professor Dumbledore. Hagrid. Even Professor Snape must have had some sort of influence on you." Harry smiled sadly at the mention of his former potions professor. "The point is you can do this, if it's what you want, which I think you do. You have plenty of inspiration to draw from and you'll have everybody's support. It might not be easy all of the time, but I wouldn't tell you to do it if I wasn't absolutely confident that you could handle it. Don't talk yourself out of it just because you're scared, fear has never stopped you before and Teddy needs you." Hermione finished her impromptu speech. She surprised even herself at how avidly she was fighting for Harry to take in his godson, but once she recognized that he wanted to do so, she knew she couldn't let Harry talk himself out of it.

"So I'm doing it. Am I making the right decision? This is the right decision. I have to. I _want _to. I… whoa. You're sure about what you said? Harry was starting to panic again.

"I'm sure, you'll be great. Calm down, you'll hyperventilate." Hermione offered, even though she wasn't positive that he was talking to her after he had been answering his own questions. This seemed to snap him out of his downward spiral as he took a deep breath and smiled.

"I won't be able to return to Hogwarts. Are you sure you'll be fine without us?" Harry asked finally.

"I'll be fine; I'll have Ginny and probably Neville." She replied airily, not wanting him to feel guilty about letting her go back without him even though she was secretly sad about him staying behind. It was true that she'd have other people to spend time with, but in that moment it hit her that she'd be returning to school without both of her best friends, but she knew that they weren't abandoning her and that, for them, there were things more important than school. As crazy as that sounded.

* * *

**A/N: Well I hope you enjoyed this chapter… I've always enjoyed the friendship between Harry and Hermione so I hope I've done it justice. I know the Dramione is taking a while to get to, and I can't promise that it will show up soon, but I do have a set timeline and there are things that need to happen before they can be together. Next up, we'll see what Draco and the Malfoys have been up to. **

**Thank you for reading, and as always, don't hesitate to provide any feedback. I'd love to know what everybody's thoughts are. **


	4. Chapter 3: Draco

Chapter 3: Draco

August 3, 1998

_Embarrassing,_ Draco thought as he made his way through the throng of people and into the restaurant where he was about to meet his friends, if he could even call them that anymore. _More like mortifying_, he corrected himself. It had been a little over a year since he'd last spoken to any of them, and with good reason. Draco knew that, to most, meeting one's friends after only a year of estrangement would not be a terribly huge deal, but after the year they've had, not to mention his role in it, they probably currently despised him. What he was about to do would be utterly humiliating for any Malfoy. Draco was about to apologize and then beg for forgiveness in person. Face to face.

Draco had never apologized to anyone face to face before, but this time he couldn't just send an owl; he needed to see them in person. In addition to being an arrogant little shit and a terrible person for most of his life, in the past two years he'd been a terrible friend to the three people he needed most. However he treated the rest of the world, those in his inner circle were a separate matter entirely and he took care to treat them with the respect they deserved. He had failed them and hurt them, and he couldn't change that. Draco would just have to add that to his ever growing list of regrets.

His biggest regrets would always be his cowardice and the part he played in the war. He'd been an utter fool not to run when he had the chance, yet even now he'd recognize that as long as his mother was in danger he _couldn't _desert her. However, that knowledge did little to comfort him in the few years whilst his life imploded so spectacularly. His home, littered with psychopathic Death Eaters, had become his own personal hell. The constant screams and the smell of death in the air were enough to drive him mad. Though if he ever truly doubted his sanity, all he needed to do was look about to quell his own worries. Compared to his former housemates, Draco was a completely sane and well-adjusted young man. For a long time there was no escape from the lunacy, from the evils committed by those living in his home, his friends, _his family._ His delusions of being a Death Eater had long since been shattered, and after seeing the realities of war, Draco had come to realize the many errors of his ways. He learned the hard way that war was not a boy's game, all men died the same, and more importantly, all men bled the same.

The last year was difficult for everybody in their world, but few had been forced to live with the Dark Lord himself. The constant terror of being in his presence and that of his Death Eaters had taken a toll on Draco. Yet, he knew that he hadn't experienced the very worst aspects of the war, though he had _seen _them well enough. A number of those terrible scenes would forever haunt his nightmares and the worst part about it all was the knowledge of the part he played, however small, in those events. He would always resent, maybe even hate, his father for forcing him into that life, but Draco knew that he shared at least some of the responsibility for his current predicament.

So here he was, a young man of eighteen, just recently tried by the Wizangamot for his actions during the war, and about to beg his only real friends for their forgiveness. Draco's life was not _at all_ how he thought it would be.

Draco had only been seated about five minutes when he saw his friends making their way toward the table with alternatively cold and apprehensive looks plain on their faces. Millicent Bulstrode was the first to great him with an appraising look before offering an awkward smile and taking the chair to Draco's left. Then Blaise Zabini gave a courteous handshake before sitting to Draco's right. Lastly Theodore Nott, wearing a cool expression, gave Draco a curt nod before sitting across from him.

Draco awkwardly attempted to clear his throat before beginning his planned apology, before Theo cut him off abruptly, "So we came. Why are we here?"

"Theo, do not start. We came to hear him out, so that's what we're going to do," Millicent admonished, "Draco?"

"Right, thanks," Draco murmured. "Well I'm sure you can infer why I've called you three here tonight, I owe each of you an apology-"

"About bloody time," Blaise scoffed into his wine glass, "sorry mate, but you know it's true." Blaise added when he saw the looks he had received.

"Anyway… I want you three to know just how sorry I am. I was a selfish and paranoid prick and I should have listened to you guys. You've only ever tried to help me and you deserve better. Sorry." Draco finished his apology awkwardly, it had been even harder than he thought it would be to say the words, but he needed to say them and they needed to hear them. He missed his friends deeply, and if he was going to rebuild his life and have any shot at happiness he would need them by his side. Looking around the table he could see their surprise and confusion at his apology.

"So when you say you're sorry, you mean for… what exactly?" Millicent inquired patiently. She, at least, seemed open to talking. Theo was still dutifully glaring at Draco and Blaise seemed amenable, but nobody could accurately read him; he was an enigma presented as a charming and socially gifted young man. He'd long teased her about it for not being very Slytherin, but Draco had never been more thankful for Millicent's directness and easy to read face.

"I mean that I'm sorry for not listening to your worries, and not taking your advice. I'm sorry I turned my back on you. I'm sorry I didn't leave with you when I had the chance, but I just couldn't." He directed the last part to Theo. Draco knew why Theo was most angry at him, and he needed him to hear his apology and understand his actions.

"See that's what I don't quite understand, you pretend that you didn't have a choice, but you did. You _could _have left. You didn't _have_ to turn into _your_ father. We had a plan, and you abandoned it for a chance to impress _him._ You were a fool to crave that power after seeing what it did to Lucius. You knew what you stood to lose. I wonder, would you be apologizing if he had won?" Theo asked bitterly. Draco knew that his decision to not flee to Italy with Theo had caused the strife between the two of them, but he didn't know just how betrayed Theo felt. The two had bonded over their difficult relationships with their fathers and when the Dark Lord returned, they had originally planned to flee to the Zabini estate to avoid the influence of their fathers should a war break out. Theo kept his promise to himself, had fled to Italy and severed all contact with his father. Draco became a teenage Death Eater, attempted to kill the headmaster, and let psychopaths and murderers loose in a castle full of sleeping children.

Draco was taken aback by Theo's unveiled anger; he had always been the more logical member of their little group and was definitely not prone to heated outbursts, like Draco or Millicent. "I'm saying that I'm sorry _now._ If the Dark Lord had lived, I would not be sitting here before you. I'm not trying to get your sympathy, that's just a fact." Draco responded curtly, he did feel terrible for abandoning his friends. However, they didn't understand his situation and, while he could sympathize with their anger, he would not be made out to be an idiot while he was apologizing.

Millicent, anticipating Theo's angry response, interrupted before any more could be said, "I think what Theo means to say is that he doesn't understand how you could become the very man you had professed to hating. You have to understand, we didn't know what was really going on with you until well into the sixth year. We were your friends, and you didn't tell us _anything._ And then when we finally did know, you acted like it was something you wanted and you dismissed all of our concerns. We were worried about you and you didn't give a second thought to leaving us to agonize over your safety or health. For a while we even thought you were under the Imperius curse."

When he saw the look on Millie's face, Draco feel like the biggest twat in the world. Looking at her, or even knowing her, nobody would suspect her to be so sensitive, but she was. Millie was sensitive, and noble, and loyal. She would never have acted the way Draco did, and that knowledge made him feel even worse. "My mother's life was on the line, hewas going to kill her unless I did what he told me. I held off as long as I could have, I tried to wait until everyone was gone, but he was threatening to do terrible things. That was all on me! They would have killed her without hesitation, and they would have gone for my father next. I _hate _him for what he did to us, but I don't want him dead." Draco finished his rant, they needed to understand why he acted the way that he did, but yelling it at them probably wasn't smart and people at other tables were staring to take notice. With a sigh he lowered his voice and looked down at the table, "I'm sorry. I don't know what else I can say, but I _am _sorry."

An awkward silence fell upon the table of four, but Draco was grateful for it; he had nothing left to say, the choice was theirs, and he knew that if they couldn't forgive him they would have left by now.

It was Blaise, unsurprisingly pragmatic and understanding, that first spoke up, "Obviously, I can't speak for the two of you," he directed toward Theo and Millicent, "but I'm willing to give Draco another chance, we've all made mistakes and done things we're not proud of. He's taking responsibility for his mistakes and has apologized, that's all we can ask for. Clearly it's going to take a while to repair any trust or friendship, so if you two are okay with it, why don't we just take it one day at a time and enjoy catching up over a nice dinner?"

Millicent nodded vigorously at Blaise's suggestion, "I agree. We've been friends for too long for us to quit now." All eyes then turned to Theo, still wearing a scowl, "What do you say?" Millicent asked hopefully.

"I can live with that," Theo grumbled.

It was a start, and Draco would gladly take it. He missed his friends, they were the only people in his life that knew him and accepted him for who he really was. He now knew that he didn't have to hide anything from them, he could trust them, and they would support him the way that his family never had. Draco then made a silent promise to himself, he would never shut them out of his life again, and he'd be the kind of friend they deserved. Their tentative forgiveness had given him more hope than his recent acquittal and he wasn't keen to screw it up again.

* * *

Their dinner had gone surprisingly well after Blaise had intervened. The four had quickly returned to their easy rapport and had a genuinely nice time, spending a few hours just talking and catching up, though Theo was still hesitant to interact directly with Draco and would only communicate with him when it was absolutely necessary.

Blaise had been the first to leave, informing the table that he had 'a catch to date.' The table, cringing at his terrible line, had been quite ready to let their friend go. Once Blaise was in pick-up mode, he quickly became intolerable to be around until he had a good shag. It was a slightly disturbing side effect of his friendship; he was as lascivious as he was thoughtful.

Next to depart was Theo, who had apparently been dating Daphne Greengrass for the last year. Theo anxiously rushed to return to the home he shared with his girlfriend. Millicent had later informed Draco that the two had become sickeningly inseparable and rarely ventured anywhere without the other.

With their table having dwindled down to two and neither wanting to call it a night, Draco and Millicent moved to the bar and ordered another round. Draco had almost forgotten just how much he enjoyed Millie's company, she was easy to talk to and understanding, but she wasn't a sap either and wasn't afraid to call him an arse when he deserved it, which was often. Once a lull in their conversation appeared Draco confessed that he was surprised by Theo's reaction to his apology.

"Oh, don't worry too much about. You how Theo gets; he's stubborn, and harsh, and he's not so great at seeing the other side to things. I think he was more hurt than he lets on and doesn't know how to express it, but he's sensible enough to recognize your apology. He'll come around," Millie promised, "and if he doesn't, I'll make him."

"Ah the lioness comes out. Keep talking like that and I'd swear that you should have been in Gryffindor." Draco joked.

"Shut it. I'm a snake all the way, and you know it." Millicent exclaimed proudly. "So I didn't want to bring it up in front of everyone, well Theo really, but I wanted to know how your family was doing with… everything."

"Subtle," Draco quipped, "we'll make a Slytherin out of you yet."

"I'm being serious. I read about the trials in _the Prophet_, but the article didn't say much else besides the dates and outcomes. How are things at home?"

Draco knew he had to be serious now and answer her inquiry earnestly and truthfully, but he was reluctant to abandon their easygoing atmosphere and tread into such a dark area. "My mom is dealing with it, she's relieved that neither of us is going to Azkaban, but she refuses to leave father. She wants to give him another chance, and present a 'united front' at the trials," He admitted somewhat ashamedly, "as if it matters that we're a 'loving family' when we're on trial for treason and murder. I keep telling her that we should just be grateful for our acquittals and leave father to deal with his own problems, but mother won't hear any of it."

"She loves him. You can't fault her for supporting her husband and trying to keep her family together amidst all of the chaos. Maybe she just wants to be happy?" Millie offered.

"I just don't understand how she could still feel that way about him. After everything he put us through? He doesn't deserve her forgiveness, and he sure as hell can't be there for her when he's always got his own stuff going on. The counselors say he won't get off as easy as mother and I did. He's facing a year of house arrest, at best, maybe even a stay at Azkaban. That's hardly a balanced relationship, how could she be happy with that?" Draco asked incredulously.

"She's choosing to be happy with what she has, let her. Don't look at me like that, happiness _is_ a choice. What's done is done, there's no point in moping around and living in the past, you need to be proactive and decide to be happy. Why not try to enjoy whatever part of your life you can?"

"Brilliant, you're mental now."

"It's true. Happiness isn't just given to you, you have to take it! For your mother, happiness is being with her family and forgiving her husband, regardless of how crazy that may seem. For Blaise, happiness is bedding anything with a pretty face and a pair of tits. For Theo, it's his career and his exclusive circle of confidants. Even you are choosing to be happy right now."

"Oh am I?" Draco asked mockingly.

"You are," Millie replied with confidence, "even if it's not a conscious effort. You're here aren't you? You're apologizing because you need to feel a sense of redemption before you can actually allow yourself to feel happy. You're trying to be happy, just like the rest of us. I'm right, and you know it. I bet we weren't even the first stop on the Draco Malfoy apology tour were we? In fact, I think we were your last stop? My guess is you started with the easy ones and built up to those only ones that had the power to withhold forgiveness and make you feel rejected."

"You're right." Draco admitted with slight befuddlement, maybe she _did_ belong in Slytherin. Draco had sent many an owl in the past few weeks. Everyone he had tormented, mocked, or had otherwise harmed had received an extremely contrite letter professing his regret. Even the _Golden Trio _had gotten letters. He knew he should have done it all in person, but he was after all a coward and facing those he'd wronged would be far too daunting a task to even consider.

"I knew it. So, I just have one more question; why didn't you come to us sooner, right after the war? Why wait until now, after your trial but before your father's?" Millicent asked.

Draco noted that she was determined to get the whole truth out of him before the end of the night. He thought it over and finished his drink before answering, "If went to Azkaban, none of it would have mattered. You could have moved on with your lives and never thought of me again. I'm not coming back just to put you through more pain," Millie visibly softened at his response. "As for my father's trial, nobody else understands our relationship and it'd be nice to be around a few friends, not my mother."

"That seems reasonable. So, what are you going to do now?" Millie asked.

"Now I choose to be happy, because apparently that's something you can do." Draco lightly jibed.

"You can, but only if you're _not _an emotionally stunted, arrogant arsehole. That's the caveat." Millie retorted. "Just promise me you'll try, what do you have to lose by trying?" Draco nodded in acquiescence.

"I'll try, but if it doesn't work then I'm holding you personally responsible."

"Deal," Millie grinned triumphantly, "I'll work, you'll see."

* * *

**A/N: So now we know what Draco and a few of his friends have been up to. You may notice that Draco comes across as a little bit OOC, this is intentional. I think he is someone who cares deeply about what others think of him and he has shown to be quite sensitive in the past. It may be a little bit over the top, but I feel that in the excitement after the war it wouldn't be out of the question for him to apologize to a few people. As time goes by, he will revert somewhat back to normal, but for now I think he's full of regret and is grasping at anything that could help him. I hope that comes across rather than just an OOC Draco. Anyway, how do ya'll feel about my choice for Draco's friends? I know that Blaise is the typical best friend in fics, and that Theo isn't all that uncommon either, but I thought I'd try something I haven't seen a lot with Millicent. I think she has a lot of potential, and frankly Draco needs a female friend that wasn't previously obsessed with him.**

**I know the plot may be too slow moving for some readers, but I really want to take my time and establish these characters and their arcs, and let things unfold naturally. The primary focus of this story will be on the relationships between these characters and not on any 'action-driven' plotlines, so I want to provide plenty of context for what will come to fruition later. I can say, however that the big blocks of back story you've been seeing will probably lighten up and make way for some more dialogue, scenery, and action, so that will be less tiresome to read. **

**Dramione ****_will _****happen, but it's going to take a few chapters before we see them interact. I think they both need some time before any interaction between the pair could be positive, much less romantic. In the meantime we will see many other characters and pairings, including Ginny and Harry in the next chapter. If anyone has read or is familiar with ****_A Song of Ice and Fire_**** (or the Game of Throne series for non-supernerds), I'll be following a similar format wherein the POV and the focus will mostly be on ****_one _****character per chapter while, hopefully, still advancing the plots of the surrounding storylines. So while you may not see any big Dramione interaction for a few chapters the important groundwork is being laid and it ****will**** pay off. **

**This chapter, for whatever reason, was kind of hard for me to write and I'm still not sure if I'm happy with it, so feedback is definitely wanted. Maybe I was forcing something or perhaps my Muse just wasn't cooperating?**

**Speaking of feedback; Thanks to my lone reviewer, it means a lot to me! While it is ****not at all ****required, I ****_would_**** like to know if this story sucks and if I should just keep it on my computer for myself. As I've said before, creative writing, especially in a story format if still new to me. I am looking to improve my writing so I'm open to any constructive criticism. If you don't have an account, I've enabled anonymous reviews so don't hesitate. I myself review mostly anonymously, under the name 'Tilga', I'm too paranoid to stay signed in on my shared computer and too lazy to sign in after reading a fic ;)**

**That was WAY too long of an A/N, sorry! Thanks for reading and please review, don't be shy, I won't bite!**

**-Tilga**


	5. Chapter 4: Harry

Chapter 4: Harry

February 13, 1999

As the door shut behind him, Harry Potter relished the familiar warmth of the pub as he shook the snow from his boots and the mop of unmanageable black hair atop his head. The Three Broomsticks and Hogsmeade, more weathered than ever, still felt like home. Harry's scanned his surroundings briefly before meeting the eyes of his girlfriend and making his way toward their booth in the back of the pub isolated from the majority of patrons.

Ginny stood to give Harry a brief embrace and quick peck on the cheek before settling back into the booth. "I'm surprised you wanted to meet here, I thought for sure we'd be at Madame Puddifoot's," Harry noted as he sat across from her. He'd been preparing for the worst when they decided to celebrate Valentine's Day early in Hogsmeade to accommodate Ginny's quidditch training and had been thankful when she had written him and asked to meet at the Three Broomsticks instead of the infamous tea shop. She had also requested that they not exchange gifts to Harry's great relief.

Ginny brushed it off with a wave of her hand, "Here's fine. I thought some privacy might be nice… So, how have you been?" Ginny asked as she offered him one of the glasses of butterbeer already at their table.

"Good, good," Harry replied as he accepted the glass. "Teddy's been sleeping really well and he was great when I dropped him off at Andromeda's today, no crying or anything. He's going to start talking soon, I know it. The other day, he almost said 'snitch'. Your mum invited us over for dinner and afterwards Ron, Charlie, Bill, and I played a little quidditch; Teddy was watching the whole time and after the match was over he was grabbing at the snitch and I swear he almost said it, you could tell he really wanted to say it. It won't be long until he's playing. He's going to be a great flyer, I can tell." He smiled as he thought of his godson, the little guy had given Harry more happiness than he could have imagined possible. "I think he misses you though, he woke up with bright red hair and freckles today." Harry finished, there was so much Ginny was missing out on while she was at Hogwarts. Teddy was doing so much and learning so many new things, it broke his heart to think of missing such monumental events in his life.

"I'll have to see him soon, but the hair and freckles probably came from my family, not me. Ron sees him a lot, Teddy was probably just dreaming about him. Anyway, I asked how _you _were." Ginny reminded him before taking a sip from her glass.

"I'm fine. I have some new pictures of him. He's growing so much, you have to see these." Harry said as he pulled a stack of photos from his pocket. Before he could stop himself he was gushing about his godson as he showed her photo after photo of Teddy. Photos of Teddy playing, eating, sleeping, and performing every other mundane activity babies his age did. He finally stopped at the most recent taken a few days prior. In the photo the infant metamorphmagus had styled himself to look exactly like his godfather; black messy hair, vibrant green eyes, even a tiny scar appeared on his forehead as he cooed and giggled in Harry's arms.

"You know, you've already sent me most of these. I think there are only a couple of pictures that I _haven't _seen," Ginny remarked wryly, "you're becoming obsessed with documenting his every move. It's a tad unhealthy, the kid's either going to develop an aversion to cameras or become a total ham."

"Shut it," Harry playfully replied, though he really was slightly annoyed. Harry thought that since they would one day be a family, she should be taking more of an interest in Teddy. Harry took the hint and changed the subject. "So, Hermione and Ernie huh?"

"Don't even get me started, it's ridiculous. He is _the_ _worst_, I wish she had some standards," Ginny said wistfully, "but it has gotten her off of my back about NEWTs. I swear she could have sat the exams months ago and still would have gotten all Os."

"You know Hermione, that's just the way she is. She didn't seem too enthused about Ernie, I doubt that will last for too much longer. "It's definitely not serious, I wouldn't worry about it," Harry said. He knew what Hermione was doing, distracting herself. He wasn't about to say that to Ginny though, the redhead appreciated a much more direct approach to life and would not approve of her friend deflecting any issues, but Harry believed that Hermione deserved some peace after everything she'd been through.

"I guess you're right," Ginny conceded. "By the way, is Ron seeing anybody that you know of?"

"No… you're not trying to get him back together with Hermione, are you?" Harry asked apprehensively, he thought Ginny had been fine with their breakup, but her recent train of thought had him worried.

"No, of course not, don't be ridiculous. They're terrible together. I'm asking because I ran into Ron earlier today. He said he was scouting locations for an expansion for 'Wheezes but I haven't heard anything about that from George. He was really twitchy too, and later I saw him run off toward the shrieking shack. Something fishy is going on with him and I want to know what," Ginny concluded.

"He _has_ seemed weirder than normal, but he hasn't said anything," Harry offered and shrugged. Ron was a mystery to everyone, for being such a simple guy, he was very unpredictable and it was best to just let him do things in his own time. "He'll tell us when he's ready. Oh by the way, Kingsley's offered me another job in the ministry, International Magical Cooperation this time. I have no idea what he was thinking; I've been turning his offers down for almost year now."

Ginny rolled her eyes, "He was probably thinking that you might want to get your career up and running, it's been almost a _year_ since the war ended. I thought last time we talked about this we agreed that you needed to do _something,_ you'll drive yourself mad and now you have a child to financially provide for. You're going to have to accept an offer sooner or later," Ginny argued much to Harry's chagrin. He should have known better than to bring it up; Ginny believed that Harry was wasting precious time he could be using to forge a career for himself. Harry disagreed with her vehemently.

"I like what I'm doing now, Teddy needs me. I'm providing for him just fine and it will be a while before I have to consider finances, if ever," Harry retorted before draining the remainder of his drink. She knew very well that he had enough gold to last he and Teddy a lifetime without him needing to work. What she didn't understand was that Harry _wanted _to stay home with Teddy. True, he didn't have any idea what he might want to do later in life, but he knew that, for the time being, he was going to savor the time he was able to spend with Teddy while he was young. Teddy deserved to have a full-time parental figure, and Harry wanted to be that person. Harry didn't think Ginny would ever understand that, she was so driven in her own life that she couldn't understand why anyone would want to just stay at home with their child. They'd had many fights about this in the past few months and Ginny never seemed to understand where he was coming from.

"Can we just not?" Harry asked exasperatedly when he saw that she was about to reply. He didn't want to fight with her _again;_ it was becoming too much of a habit for them.

"Fine, but you know how I feel," Ginny said shortly.

"Yes, I do," Harry sighed, "How's training going?"

"Good. It'll be hard to ever top the Hufflepuff match, but Ravenclaw will be a piece of cake in comparison." Ginny replied assuredly. Quidditch had become a priority in her life as of late, and she had played a fantastic game against a surprisingly strong Hufflepuff team garnering a lot of attention for her skills. "I actually wanted to talk to you about that. There were some scouts at the Hufflepuff match, and I've met with a few of them; they're saying I have a great chance at turning pro." Ginny said excitedly, she had always dreamed of playing professional quidditch.

"Wow, Ginny that's great, what teams?" Harry asked, he was surprised she hadn't mentioned anything before.

"Kenmare, Montrose, and Holyhead. The Harpies want me, Harry, me! It's all in the early stages but they say come July I could be playing for a professional team. Isn't that great?" Ginny asked gleefully.

That was definitely _not _great, Harry thought, all of those teams were in other countries. They just got back together and the distance, combined with the sure to be exhausting schedule, would take Ginny away from him for the majority of the year. Sure, he knew she always wanted to play quidditch but he figured when the time came to make a decision that she would stay home with him and Teddy. It's not like he wasn't proud of her, he was, but they were to be a family, they couldn't do that with her training in another country and traveling the world once the season began. She was a Weasley; she was supposed to choose family over a career.

"Yeah, that's brilliant. It's a shame you'll have to turn them all down, but you worked really hard to earn the offers and you'll always have that. I'm proud of you," Harry offered, he knew she'd be devastated to reject the teams but accepting any of the offers was completely out of the question.

"What do you mean 'turn them down'?" She asked, all of the enthusiasm draining from her face, "I can't do that, I've worked so hard to get to this point. I thought you'd understand." Ginny was completely miffed, "I'm going to accept one of the offers, Harry."

"You can't be serious, now isn't the right time. What about us, how would you even suppose we work this out?" Harry asked, shocked at her careless attitude.

"Well, I wouldn't be leaving _now_. I'd leave in July," Ginny replied with thinly veiled impatience, "You know this is what I want; we've talked about this hundreds of times. Why are you acting this way, I thought you'd be happy for me?"

"I thought you'd rather oh I don't know, be with _your family_, how could you even think about leaving everyone at a time like this? We just got back together, and now you want to leave the country," He argued, not believing what he was hearing form her.

_"My_ family is very supportive, it's you that has the problem," Ginny replied angrily. "I can't put my career on hold until you're ready for me to leave. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity, I can't turn it down to play house with you."

"I thought you wanted to be with me, I thought we were important to you. What about Teddy, you're going to leave him too? He's already lost one mother." Teddy was already orphaned once, and he couldn't believe that Ginny would abandon the child that he agreed to raise as his own.

"I love him," Ginny tried to defend herself, "but I am _not _his mother-"

"And I'm not his dad, but I'm still honoring the commitment I made." Harry interrupted not caring if any of the other patrons could hear their argument, "You promised-"

"Don't you dare throw that in my face!" Ginny replied angrily, " and I didn't promise anything, _you_ made that commitment without talking to me; I didn't have any say in the matter, and you know it," she lowered her voice.

"You don't want him." Harry said sadly. It wasn't a question, it was the truth.

"It's not that, I don't want _any_ of it. This just isn't working. We're not happy, and I think we've both known that for a while now. We fight more often than not and we want completely different things. I'm just not ready for the life you want, I want to play quidditch, travel the world, and experience new things. I'm not ready to be a wife and mum, Harry, and if you can't accept that then it's clear we need to end things between us."

"It must be nice to decide that you're not _ready_ for something," Harry spat mockingly. "I wish _I_ got to make that choice, just once, but life happens."

"I should get going; I have a lot of work to get caught up on. I get that you're upset but I hope you won't hate me forever; this really is for the best," said Ginny as she stood to leave the pub and return to Hogwarts.

"Right. Well I hope you're happy with your decision," Harry bitterly replied.

"Okay," Ginny said, not willing to continue their argument. "Bye, Harry."

Harry remained seated as Ginny left, staring at the bottom of his empty glass and trying to process what had just happened. They were finished, really finished. He never saw it coming, but Ginny had evidently been thinking about it for a while now. The stack of discarded photos left on the table caught his attention. He retrieved the photos, examining each one thoughtfully as he digested the reality of his circumstances. _Looks like it's just you and me now, kid,_ Harry thought as he landed on the moving image of Teddy beaming at him with emerald green eyes and a tuft of jet black hair.

* * *

**A/N: First of all, many thanks to those who reviewed. I appreciate all of your feedback very much. I do, however, feel the need to apologize for whining about the lack of reviews, I'm not trying to cajole people into reviewing. That was unseemly of me and it will stop. That being said, if you have any feedback, comments or whatever, do not hesitate to share them.**

**This has nothing to do with this chapter but it was brought up that Draco was a little bit OOC in the last chapter. Don't worry, that ****_is _****intentional, I wrote a little bit about that in the A/N but if you haven't seen that then rest assured we will see an entirely fleshed out Draco, not just the regretful sap. **

**Back to this chapter, sorry if there are any Harry/Ginny fans reading this! I hope I didn't disrespect the characters or their fans. I don't hate the pairing, but I don't think their relationship would work, at least not right now in this fic. They're so young, they really haven't had any other serious relationships, Ginny's still in school, and Harry has Teddy now. They're moving in such separate directions and they want completely different things out of life. Also, I think they need time to grow on their own and forge their own identities before settling into such a serious relationship. Does that make sense, what do you think of their breakup? Was Ginny inconsiderate to Harry's feelings, was Harry too narrow-minded and selfish, or perhaps both?**

**It took me a bit longer to post this chapter than I thought it would, sorry about that but real life got in the way. The next chapter shouldn't take as long. **

**Thanks for reading!**

**-Tilga**


	6. Chapter 5: Ron

Chapter 5: Ron

June 20, 1999

Ron Weasley loved everything about the woman standing to his right. Her knowing eyes, her serene smile, her never ending wit; he loved all of it. Her sense of humor, her compassion, and her sensitivity made her the perfect woman in Ron's eyes. He loved the way she laughed at all of his jokes even when they weren't funny, he suspected that she laughed even harder at them just to make him feel better. He loved that they could talk about anything for hours on end just as he loved that they could simply _be_ with each other and not feel the need to fill the silence. He loved that she alone understood him in ways nobody else ever could. He loved her optimism and forgiving nature, without it she certainly would not be here with him. He loved and admired how fearless she was, nothing could ever knock her down as long as she stayed true to herself, and that was starting to rub off on him. He loved how being with her made him feel; brave, confident, content, and frankly, quite manly. It didn't matter that most still thought of him as the bumbling sidekick to his famous best friend, when in _her_ eyes he was a lion. He loved how she felt in his arms, fragile and small, and he loved the hidden power she possessed. He loved that now they were bound together for life, she was _his_ and he was _hers_. Luna Lovegood was his wife and nothing could make him happier.

All that was left was to share the wonderful news with his family and, of course, Harry and Hermione. He knew they probably wouldn't understand right away, but he hoped that they could learn to be happy for them. Though they had been together for a few months, and only a select few even knew of their relationship, Ron and Luna knew that they wanted to spend the rest of their lives together. The decision to elope had been spontaneous, with neither wanting a big wedding or the attention and fuss that came with it, so the ceremony had been brief and without witnesses.

Ron looked at the expectant faces before him in the kitchen, waiting for the 'news' he had promised when he insisted that everyone attend the Weasley's Sunday dinner. He suddenly felt nervous, more so than he ever thought he'd be at this moment. There would be yelling, he knew it, lots of yelling. With a reassuring smile from Luna, Ron blurted out, "Luna and I got married last Monday."

There was a moment of complete silence before it all began.

"YOU'RE WHAT?!" cried Molly and Ginny, easily the most audible amongst the exclamations of surprise from the Weasleys and their guests.

Ron's ears reddened as he looked down on his shuffling feet before replying, "Married. We're married. Last Monday." Ron would always shrink under his mother's glare, no matter his age, and he knew better than to tempt her fury by saying more than absolutely necessary.

"And we're only just now hearing about this?" Molly asked suspiciously calmly, as if only seconds away from blowing up.

"You didn't ever think to tell us that you were _engaged_?" asked Ginny, just as outraged as her mother.

"Ah, an elopement, 'ow romantique," sighed Fleur as she leaned back to rest her head on Bill's shoulder.

"Are you serious? You're actually married, you're not joking?" asked Harry before rushing to Teddy who had gone rogue and attempted to climb one of the many shelves in the kitchen.

"You've only been together for, what, six months?" estimated a shocked Hermione.

"Five months and nineteen days, to be exact. I remember because it was a curiously warm day for the New Year, that's a very good omen, you know." Luna helpfully supplied with a smile.

"Right," Hermione said with raised eyebrows before going silent and picking at the invisible lint on her jeans as the room fell into silence

"I didn't even know you were dating," said Bill, completely taken aback, turning the focus once more to the newlyweds.

"Have you two really thought this through? You know, marriage is fairly large commitment. It's not something you can rush into" advised Percy while shaking his head as if doing so would make sense of the situation unfolding before him. "Look at Audrey and I," Percy continued, "we've been together for over a year and we're not even _thinking _about marriage yet. They say you need to be with your partner for at least twenty-four months and cohabitate for six before you're able to make such a commitment."

"Since when he does he like girls?" asked a miffed Charlie to which Percy narrowed his eyes and turned his nose up, prompting George to lightly chuckle.

"Did he say _married_?" asked a befuddled Arthur to the rest of the room. When he received confirmation from the rest of the room he turned back to Ron, "Right. Care to elaborate?"

"Merlin, she's pregnant, isn't she?!" asked Ginny franticly before Ron had a chance to respond to his father's question.

"RONALD BILIUS WEASLEY, never have I thought you to be so irresponsible. How could you?!" yelled Molly furiously, stunning Ron into silence. "Well what do you have to say?" Molly implored impatiently.

"I… I… She's not pregnant!" Ron exclaimed flustered.

"She's _not_?" Ginny asked suspiciously.

"No!" Ron said at the same time Luna replied, "It's entirely possible, but most likely not."

"What?" Ron asked breathlessly

"I said most likely _not_. It's impossible to truly know before there are any signs," Luna tilted her head as she briefly narrowed her eyes, seemingly counting, before answering, "No. I'm probably not."

"No." Ron replied firmly to Ginny.

The entire room fell into silence once more before Arthur tried to restart the conversation, "I think we're all a little curious, why is it necessary that you're married _now_, while you're still so young?" he asked.

It was Ron who spoke up, as much as her admired her courage, he couldn't let Luna face the mob that was his family, "I… We know it's sudden, but this is a commitment we both want to make _now_. This is it for us, what's the point in waiting for forever to start? You and mum were around our age when you got married. Bill and Fleur only dated for what, a year? Why should it be any different for us?" Ron asked. He understood that they were taken off guard, but that was no excuse for hypocrisy.

"It just is," Molly said, as if she were scolding a young child, "you're only _nineteen_. Are you really in that much of a hurry to grow up?" Molly asked sadly, "There's no rush, you have your whole lives ahead of you."

"That's not-" Ron said before being interrupted.

"And you couldn't bother to tell us for a _week_. After everything this family has been through, you hide this from us. Family means more than that, I know your father and I raised you better than that," Molly finished, fighting back angry tears.

"Look, I'm sorry for not telling you sooner, but this is right for us. This is the happiest I've ever been… I love her. I know you're all angry right now, but your support would mean a lot to us," Ron finished with a meek smile, hypocrite or not, he hated to see his mum this way.

A tug on his hand brought his attention back to Luna who smiled up at him and mouthed _I love you _back.

"Ah, zey are so sweet, don't you theenk?" Fleur said to no one in particular, seemingly oblivious to the tense atmosphere.

"We're not angry," Molly said as she visibly calmed down and ignored Fleur, "it's just so sudden. We'll always support you, but you can't keep such big secrets from us and not expect us to have our concerns." The rest of the family, except Ginny, nodded their heads in agreement.

"Thank you," Ron said to the room, relieved that it was over, "and I _am _sorry that we just now told you."

"_I'm _angry," Ginny stubbornly said, "_I_ wasn't even invited to the wedding. I'd expect this from you Ron, but Luna I thought we were friends?"

"Oh Ginny, it was really a very small ceremony, only the officiant was there. I didn't think it would hurt your feelings, please forgive us," Luna implored. Ron knew that Luna cared a great deal for her friends and would never intentionally hurt them, but he also knew how stubborn Ginny could be.

"My feelings aren't hurt, I'm mad," Ginny replied, trying to appear tough, until she melted under Luna's hopeful gaze. "Ugh, fine whatever, I forgive you," Ginny admitted as Luna made to embrace her, "but I won't forget this."

"Alright, this little announcement has distracted us long enough. We'll talk more during dinner which, might I add, still needs preparing. Out, all of you" Molly ordered, looking around at everyone.

The crowd dispersed quickly, as Molly commanded, leaving Molly, Fleur, Ron, and Luna in the kitchen. Ron made to follow Harry, Teddy, Hermione, and Ginny to the garden before Luna caught his hand and gestured to his mother. He really was grateful for the effort that Luna was putting forth with his family. So even though he had learned long ago that it was best to leave the kitchen when his mum was cooking, he stayed behind in a show of solidarity to his wife.

"Mrs. Weasley," Luna spoke up timidly, "would you like some help with dinner? I'm not much of a cook but I do know a few spells, I'd be happy to help."

"Oh, no dear, don't trouble yourself. Why don't you and Ron join your little friends outside, I'm sure you'd rather spend time with them anyway," Molly said overly sweetly before turning to Fleur, "would you please start the potatoes?"

_Typical_, Ron thought. He didn't expect his mum to give up so easily and she was proving him right. He knew that Luna would be forced to endure 'the Fleur treatment'; he only hoped that _he _didn't have to get mauled by a werewolf for his mother to accept _his _wife.

Fleur smiled apologetically to Luna before replying, "of course," as Ron led her through the door and into the garden.

* * *

"I really wish you wouldn't throw them so violently," Luna repeated as Ron threw a third gnome far past the hedge of the garden.

"This place is infested with them, they're eating the plants!" Ron cried.

"Are you _trying_ to hurt them, Ronald?" Hermione asked aghast at Ron's barbaric nature.

"They're fine! If I hurt them, they would stay away," Ron explained exasperatedly, "there's too many of them, they're destroying the garden!"

"You should consider yourselves blessed. An infestation is actually quite an auspicious sign, and it really could be worse; gnomes at least serve many useful functions," Luna pointed out. "Their sa-"

"Well then we'll be doubly blessed because they'll sneak back in as soon as we've left," Ron pointed out. "Besides, Teddy thinks it's funny, look at him," he said gesturing to the toddler in Ginny's arms shrieking with delight at the sight of the small, ugly creatures.

Luna turned to the boy, "Teddy, that's not true, is it?" she asked with of feigned outrage.

"No!" Teddy laughed as Luna began tickling him mercilessly.

"See, he agrees with us," Luna pointed out, "and we all know how wise Teddy is."

"I reckon he only knows about a dozen or so words," Harry said.

"That doesn't mean anything," Luna said smiling at Teddy while she played with his hands. "Come Teddy; let us escape from such narrow-minds and discuss more important things" Luna said as Ginny handed her the young boy.

"I'm sure you'll have a very stimulating conversation with the fourteen month old," laughed Hermione.

"Oh, we will," Luna plainly stated, "care to join us Ginny?" she asked before leaving the yard explore the rest of the yard with the toddler.

Ginny glanced awkwardly at Harry before catching up with Luna and Teddy.

"You two have got to get over this awkwardness," complained Hermione as soon as Ginny was out of earshot.

"I _am_ over it," Harry defended, "I'm here, aren't I? I haven't even said anything to her!"

"Oh please, I can practically feel the resentment pouring off of you whenever you're in the same room as her! I thought you said you were fine around her again? Didn't he say that?" She asked turning to Ron for confirmation.

"Leave me out of this," Ron begged quietly before making his way to the bench in the garden, unwilling step into the minefield that was the breakup between his best friend and his little sister.

"Ok, maybe I'm not over it _yet_," Harry admitted as he and Hermione took the chairs across from Ron, "but I'm getting over it. I've told you both dozens of times that I'll be fine. I don't want my relationship with you two to affect your relationship with her. We're all adults, and I don't see why we can't still all be friends."

"But-" Hermione began before Ron cut her off.

"Alright, let's drop the subject. He says he'll be fine, let's leave him alone. She leaves for the _Harpies_ soon, by the time she has any free time I reckon they'll be fine to be in the same room." Ron said to Harry's visible relief. "So… you two were pretty quiet in there…" Ron said to his two friends who were currently avoiding eye contact with him. He couldn't explain why, but he needed his friends to support him in this endeavor. In fact, before his mother's blow up, he was most nervous about his friends' reactions.

Harry spoke up first, meeting him in the eyes, "If you two are happy, then I'm happy for you."

Ron sighed in relief, "Merlin, thanks. And you guys understand about not being there right? We didn't want a whole production, and with the family? It wasn't the right time and it would have gotten out of hand."

"What would have gotten out of hand?" Luna asked as she arrived back to the garden, followed by Ginny and an excited Teddy.

"A wedding," Ron explained.

"Oh, yes." Luna replied before sitting next to Ron on the bench and giving him a peck on the cheek.

"I still resent not being invited, you know?" Ginny complained as she swung Teddy in her arms.

"You hate weddings," Ron informed Ginny, "I figured we were doing you a favor."

"I don't hate _all_ weddings… I wouldn't have hated yours," pouted Ginny.

"Well maybe Luna will invite you to her next wedding, you know, to the guy she marries after mum kills me," Ron half joked. He knew he was nowhere near finished enduring her wrath.

"She seemed like she was calming down, is that not the case?" Luna asked blissfully unaware of his mothers legendary grudges and temper.

"There'll be more," Ron promised ominously.

"I'm sorry," Hermione spoke up, "but I understand her reservation, to some degree," she hastened to add. "Are you sure, really sure, you're not rushing into this at all?"

"We're not," Luna said confidently as Ron nodded in agreement, "sometimes you just know some things. Some might say that we got caught in a moment, but that doesn't matter because we know that we belong together. Haven't you ever felt that way about someone, even for a fleeting moment, like you _knew_ what you share is true to the very depths of your soul?"

"No… I haven't." Hermione admitted, "I'm not so sure I ever will, to tell you the truth, but that's fine. I don't have time for that in my life right now; I've got my new flat, crooks, my new job, and the potion," Hermione explained, "my life is pretty full already." Ron once again considered the strangeness of the mystery potion Hermione was working on, all she had told him was that Professor Snape had bequeathed potion instructions, accompanied by a letter, to Hermione. He was still confused; Snape had hated Hermione almost as much as he had hated him.

"So I take it that your date with Ben didn't go so well?" asked Ginny nervously as Hermione rolled her eyes in response. "That bad? Sorry!" Ginny added.

"What date and who's Ben?" asked Harry

Ginny was startled that Harry had spoke directly to her, "um… I set Hermione up on a blind date with one of the guys on the training staff in Holyhead," she explained. "What went wrong?" she asked turning back to Hermione.

"He was a complete and utter bore, not to mention a total sycophant! I don't think he had a single original thought in his entire head. He agreed with everything I said, e_verything_," Hermione ranted, "I could have said that I was Voldemort reincarnated, and he'd proclaim himself a death eater. If I said I preferred men with purple hair, his hair would be purple. And the _questions_, they never stopped. He wanted to know my favourite colour, my favourite food, my favourite movie, book, song, it was never ending! I felt like I was being interrogated by a small child. He relied on my opinions for everything. Do you know, he even asked me to decide what _he_ should get to eat? Honestly Ginny, what were you thinking?"

"I… I thought you might like that he was eager to please?" Ginny asked pathetically before bursting into laughter with the rest of her friends, "I thought you might appreciate a break from the obnoxious jerks you usually date. I mean, Ernie Macmillan? He was the worst, so pompous and opinionated," Ginny shuddered.

"Hmm, pompous and opinionated, you say? Reminds me of someone," Hermione jested.

"Hey, I am _not _pompous!" Ginny defended, "are you really saying you'd prefer someone that argued with you? I think we all know how well _that _would turn out," Ginny said incredulously as Ron and Harry laughed in response.

"I think that's precisely what she needs; someone as strong as she is to challenge her." Luna said serenely unaware of the looks of disbelief on the faces of her companions, "When the time comes, I believe Hermione's partner will be just as principled and opinionated as she is."

"Sorry, but I just don't see that happening," Harry laughed, "Hermione would _annihilate_ anyone who had the nerve to challenge her on a regular basis."

Luna simply shrugged in response just as Molly called the group in for dinner.

* * *

Ron sighed as he relaxed in the comfort of his own home and his own bed, having just endured one of the longest family dinners to have existed. The evening continued much how it began, awkward and slightly tense. Though his friends, siblings, and even his father calmed down enough to offer their congratulations, his mother remained intractable. Her mood waffled between outright anger at her son and her signature combination of motherly disappointment and passive aggression, and she had refused to talk about her issues at any length. She clearly wasn't getting over this anytime soon. Ron was considering if the famous Weasley stubbornness was even, in fact, a Weasley trait, and not from Prewetts, when he was joined by Luna, who nestled closely into Ron's side as he buried his face in her hair. Ron relished this time, simply lying next to her put him at ease.

"That went well, don't you think?" She asked dreamily.

Ron huffed lightly in response, "it could have gone a lot worse," he allowed, "I'm still living, that's a definite plus. I just hope she gets over this soon. I don't even completely understand what her problem is."

Luna nodded in response, not needing to be told that he was referring to his mother, "you're her youngest son, of course she's going to have a hard time dealing with you getting married, especially without her knowledge," Luna offered. "I wouldn't hold it against her."

"But what about the way she treated you? I know she's mad at me, but she can't take that out on you. I thought she would have learned from the whole Fleur debacle. I'm telling you, she was merciless to her, she can't do that to every girl her sons bring home; she has five of them, it's completely impractical!" ranted Ron angrily.

"I understand it's not personal," Luna said, "she adjusting to her family changing, her children growing up and leaving home, it's going to take time."

"That still doesn't give her the right to treat you that way," Ron said stubbornly, "I won't let her."

"That's not really up to you, is it?" Luna laughed, "I've never known a Weasley to do what others tell them to, no questions asked, have you? Anyway, I'm not bothered, I can handle it."

"You shouldn't have to… but thanks," Ron said as he planted a light kiss on her head, "for putting up with my family."

"No problem, I knew what I was signing up for when I married one of you stubborn gingers," Luna said, giggling at her own joke. Soon Ron, too, had joined in her laughter.

"Hopefully, neither of those traits passes on to our children, I'm sick of dealing with it in other people," Ron sighed.

"Oh, I don't know, I quite like redheads," said Luna as she grinned playfully.

* * *

**A/N: Firstly, many thanks to all reviews, favorites, and follows. I really, really appreciate it!**

**Secondly, I wanted to get this chapter out earlier but alas time would not permit, apologies. It's been about a week. A chapter a week isn't too spaced out though, right? **

**Ok, on to the good stuff. Thoughts on Ron and Luna… They happen to be one of my favorite crackships and I rarely see them in Dramione stories, so I thought I'd try it out. I think they bring out a certain levity in each other. I think Ron would need someone who could be fun and lighthearted and tough at the same time, but also encourage him to think deeply about things and help him not to care so much about what other think. I also think that Luna would need someone a bit more grounded than her who appreciates her uniqueness, is fiercely protective of their loved ones and know the value of friendship. Basically, I think they could be delightfully compatible opposites and they make each other laugh, that's pretty great. Plus it seems like Ron is only ever paired with Lavender, or sometimes Pansy, I thought I'd throw him a bone with a non flower named love interest. What do you think of them? **

**Now that I think of it, I haven't seen a ton of Luna in any fics and I think I finally understand why… Luna, while being one of my favorite characters to read, is incredibly difficult to write; I don't want to make her seem too out there and thus childish, but she can't lose what makes her so quintessentially "Luna" and become someone else with her name. It's a fine line, so bear with me while I figure it out! Same goes for pretty much every other character in this story J**

**I feel like I need to say a couple of things on Harry and Ginny. In this chapter they might have seemed like an afterthought, but it is a few months after their breakup and I think Harry would willingly suffer a few awkward moments with Ginny for the sake of Ron and Hermione. He knows that it's entirely unrealistic to think he'll never have to see her again, and I don't think he'd want his friends to sacrifice any more for him than they already have. The breakup ****_does_**** affect him, but he's not going to burden his friends with it. As for Ginny, it may seem like she's just a bitch now but she's not a terrible person, and I swear I'm not hating on her, I just want to give her time to grow up.**

**Lastly, I'm aware that once again there was very little Hermione, no Draco, and no Dramione and there is a reason for that. In case anyone has missed the memo, this will be an ensemble piece. I do understand that that's not for everyone, but I like the idea of situating certain pairings in a larger context. There are so many fantastic fics where they're the only main characters, but that's not what I want to write yet. I'll stop writing that little disclaimer in the A/Ns now. **

**Next chapter will feature a certain ginger troublemaker…**

**Thanks for reading!**


	7. Chapter 6: Ginny

**A/N: Sincerest apologies for the delay! As always there will be a lengthy A/N after the chapter, if you're not interested please feel free to skip it. **

Chapter 6: Ginny

August 11, 2004

"I don't know how you can stand that stuff 'Mione, it tastes like tar," Ginny said plainly, referring to friend's coffee, as she settled into the seat across from her. She and Hermione had arranged to meet at a small local café during Hermione's lunch break to catch up. Despite being flatmates, Hermione's long hours and Ginny's chaotic quidditch schedule left little time for quality friend time.

"I believe it was _you_ who insisted upon this place. You're supposed to drink coffee at a café, café _literally_ means coffee. In several languages," Hermione pointed out, "You would do well to broaden your horizons, you can't drink tea forever, you know."

"Watch me," Ginny said stubbornly before making a show of taking a big sip of tea and instantly regretting it, grimacing and sputtering as the liquid heat scalded her throat. "How's work going?" She asked, voice still hoarse, after she had somewhat recovered.

"There's so much that needs to be done and I'm the only one doing it, as per usual," Hermione said before launching into a diatribe against her co-workers inability to perform their responsibilities in a timely fashion, a rant which Ginny completely tuned out. She had heard it all before anyway, the plain and simple truth was that Hermione liked the challenge of doing the work of five normal people. The drive and studiousness she had exemplified at Hogwarts had translated seamlessly into her professional life. It was no small wonder that her co-workers couldn't keep up with her, _no one could_. "I really shouldn't even be here, we can always talk later, we _do _live together, you know?"

Ginny snapped out of her trance, "No. We talked about this before; you need to get away from work once in a while. It's only one hour, of one day, in one week. You need to scale back a little or you'll drive yourself completely mental."

Hermione sighed in defeat before taking a sip of her coffee, "I know." Ginny didn't relish having to lecture her friend, but someone had to stand up to her, for her own good. Hermione looked exhausted and about as stressed as Ginny had ever seen her, NEWTs notwithstanding, she could stand to take a tiny break. Hermione snapped her head up, eyes wide, "Oh no, I'm such a terrible friend for forgetting to ask, how did your meeting go?"

"Pretty well, I think. Everybody seemed really pleased with the shots, so that's a big relief," Ginny said of her brand new endorsement deal with _Scimmia Sgualdrina_, a luxury apparel company. Her career was going really well and her profile was rising, but she had still been shocked at the proposed deal. Quidditch players and luxury brands don't traditionally mesh well together and nobody could accuse Ginny of being too much of a 'girly-girl'. She had been quite nervous about posing for the first campaign, but she quickly found her inner fashionista and ended up reluctantly loving the experience. Of course, the free high-end clothes didn't hurt either. "Oh and get this, turns out that Blaise Zabini works for _Scimmia_. You remember him, don't you? Tall, dark, handsome,?"

Hermione made an unpleasant face at the mention of their fellow Slug Club alum. "Also arrogant, elitist, and, well, a Slytherin,"she continued unhelpfully.

"He's not _that _bad," Ginny defended, even though she knew Hermione wasn't exactly telling lies. "You don't even really know him and you're judging him, that's the very definition of prejudice. I think you, of all people, should know better. Besides, he seems to have mellowed out a bit… He asked me out on a date for this Saturday and I said yes," Ginny admitted, bracing herself for a lecture from her friend.

"_Ginny_!" Hermione exclaimed scandalized. "He was so sleazy back then and from what I've heard that hasn't changed much, you really could do so much better," Hermione said with judgment thick in her tone.

"Alright, let's not throw stones. You've dated, and continue to date, more than your fair share of scumbags. Besides, he looks like he's changed a bit. You know I would never agree to even one date with someone like, say, Viktor Krum," Ginny replied pointedly.

"Fine. Point taken. I'm just trying to look out for you," Hermione said defensively. "Remember how he was at Hogwarts? I just don't want to see you get hurt."

"I know," Ginny laughed. "But you need to relax, it's only one date. Has anyone ever told you that you have massive trust issues?"

Hermione simply rolled her eyes in response. "Just don't let him try anything untoward, he does have a rather unsavory reputation," Hermione advised before continuing in her judgmental tone, "I know you can get carried away, but it's not worth whatever diseases he has."

"That won't be a problem, _Nan_," Ginny replied as she stole a bit of Hermione's croissant. "I've never shagged on the first date. The second maybe, but never the first, that's you. Speaking of," Ginny continued with a sarcastic smile, "you can cut the repressed, old lady, virgin act; we both know that's far from the truth. You're not nearly as quiet as you think you are when you're stumbling out of the fireplace in the wee hours of the morning after your one-off _'dates' _with Oliver from the Goblin Liaison Office."

"How did you-" stuttered Hermione, bristling at Ginny's assessment.

"I have my sources," Ginny assured with a hint of mischief, "So when do I get to meet Mr. Goblin?" It really was too easy with her, perhaps one day she would feel bad for intentionally making Hermione squirm. Today, however, was not that day.

Hermione wisely said nothing in response, choosing instead to finish her coffee and abandoning what Ginny suspected would be a very long winded lecture on the importance of privacy and discretion.

Hermione's eyes lit up as she smiled good-naturedly, saying, "I'll admit it is possible I may have judged Zabini a tad harshly, that was wrong of me. If you're okay with him, then I trust your judgment and wish you the best of luck on your date. Please remind me of to leave the lights on for you; I'm sure you'd like a little light instead of tripping down the hall in the middle of the night."

* * *

Ginny stood on her tip toes to press a light kiss to her companion's lips before grabbing a handful of floo powder, and stepping into the fireplace. It was still early, half eight, and a Sunday, but Ginny would never live it down if a certain bushy-haired flatmate discovered that she hadn't come home the night before. Blaise tried to get Ginny to stay longer, offering some promising ideas of what they could do instead, offers that Ginny desperately wanted to take him up on. However Ginny, being well aware of the dangers of proving Hermione right, was determined not to let it happen and reluctantly left Blaise alone to his flat.

Their date had gone surprisingly well, to put it mildly. Ginny was completely blown away by how much she had enjoyed the night; Blaise was charming, intelligent, and unexpectedly funny, he was quite skilled in other areas as well. It had been a long time since she had _connected _with someone that well, if ever. Ginny was pulled from her reverie when she heard a soft '_ahem'_, oddly reminiscent of Dolores Umbridge.

Ginny looked up to find what she had failed to notice in her post-date haze; Hermione, still wearing pyjamas and grinning knowingly, was sat on her favorite chair with Crookshanks curled in her lap, a book in hand and a cup of tea on the table to her right. Even the half-kneazle, with his squished face and shrewd eyes, appeared to be judging her. Hermione gave Ginny a condescending smile before asking, "How was your night?"

"Not a word," Ginny ordered, unable to stifle a giggle. Smiling unrepentantly, Ginny made her way to her bedroom deciding that she was in far too good a mood to let anything or anyone, cats included, ruin it.

* * *

February 11, 2005

"I'm so bored," Ginny sighed as she dropped herself unceremoniously onto Hermione's bed, settling for watching her friend get ready for her date. Hermione always did her hair and makeup the muggle way even though it lengthened the process by almost an hour. Ginny didn't have a clue as to why her friend wouldn't take advantage of the very capable magic at her disposal but she supposed she should be grateful that Hermione even bothered at all. Not that _this _particular date warranted the effort.

"I thought Blaise was coming over?" Hermione inquired looking at Ginny in the mirror on her dressing table.

"He won't be here for another hour," Ginny complained. An impatient person by anyone's standards, Ginny hated having to wait to see her boyfriend. She wanted to see him now, not in an hour, she missed him.

"Are you sure about Monday?" asked Hermione, referring to their annual Valentine's Day girl's night, "Neither of us have been with a guy on Valentine's Day in a really long time, if you'd rather spend the day with him I'll understand."

"Nonsense, its girl's night and that's that. I always make time for my girls, you know that. Besides, I've thought of a few ideas for what we can do. Did you have your heart set on going out?" Ginny asked, "Because I was thinking we could stay in and pig out on sweets and watch a few movies, the sappier the better." Typically the pair had gone out for dancing and drinks or had hosted group dinners with their girlfriends, but this year it would be just the two of them again. Plus, she really wanted to watch _The Notebook. _There were many things Ginny would never understand about the muggle world, but she was absolutely enthralled with muggle movies.

"Honestly, that sounds perfect. But are you sure Blaise is okay with not spending the day with you?" Hermione asked sounding sincerely concerned. Ginny knew that being one of the only single people left in their group could make her feel lonely at times. Ginny also noticed how her friend was especially conscientious not to become an imposition or a third wheel in group settings and wondered once more why Hermione didn't try to find a proper man to date.

"He'll be fine, and if he wasn't I'd be much less attracted to him. Men aren't supposed to care about Valentine's Day," Ginny said, disgusted at the thought. She shook herself from her train of thought and switched gears to a topic that had been weighing on her mind. Ginny turned to Hermione apprehensively, "About Blaise, 'Mione can I ask you a question?"

"Sure, what is it?" Hermione asked while feebly attempting to pin her hair up in a bun.

"Will you promise to tell the truth, no matter what?" Ginny implored, gravely serious.

"Of course, I always do," Hermione replied easily.

"I want the complete and utter truth; I don't want you to hold anything back. I want-"

"Ginny!" Hermione exclaimed exasperated.

"I want to know what you think of Blaise," Ginny said, almost shyly.

"That's it? We've talked about this, I like Blaise fine," Hermione replied, fairly miffed at the question.

"No, I want to know what you _really _think of him. And what does Ron say when I'm not around, and the rest of my family, have you heard anything?" Ginny asked, somewhat frantically.

"Ginny calm down, everyone like Blaise well enough. I mean, he and Ron probably won't be best mates anytime soon, but I don't think you could find two greater opposites. You're father probably isn't his biggest fan either, but I think that's just because he's your father so I doubt that reflects at all on Blaise. Bill seems to get along with him fairly well and your mum already loves him," Hermione offered. "As long as you're happy, the people who care about you will be happy for you. It only matters what _you _think of Blaise. What's brought this on?"

"What if I like him a lot, like _really like_ him?" Ginny asked as comprehension dawned on Hermione's face. They'd only been dating for around six months, but Ginny knew she was completely in love with Blaise, and now her thoughts were plagued with visions of her future with him.

"Then that's great, what's the problem?" Hermione asked laughing at her normally brazen friend currently consumed with nerves.

"Well, there are some complicated elements, aren't there? Our families aren't exactly from the same backgrounds, to begin with. That might create issues down the road," Ginny offered. "I can hardly see our mums having tea together. And his mother… well, I doubt I'm the type of girl she imagined her son marrying."

"So it's that serious then? That was quick," Hermione remarked. "Your family loves you; they'll deal with whatever you throw at them. Though you probably shouldn't elope; I don't think your mum's even recovered from the first one. I don't know about his family, but if they love him they'll accept you eventually, and if they can't then that's _their_ loss. That's not even a problem yet anyway, so don't worry yourself about it," she consolingly.

"What about his friends?" Ginny asked nervously skirting around the topic. Blaise got along well enough with her friends, even Harry was cordial, and Ginny got along surprisingly well with Blaise's friends, even Draco. There was really only one foreseeable issue.

"By friends, you mean?" Hermione asked, though she knew the answer.

"_Friend_. Emphasis on singular," Ginny supplied.

"You're worried about Malfoy and I?" Hermione surmised astutely as she turned around in her chair to face Ginny.

Ginny merely nodded her confirmation. She had been hesitant to bring up the topic, especially since lately the pair seemed to have had an unspoken truce between them, but it had to be done. If Ginny was going to consider a future with Blaise, thus forcing former enemies to interact casually, she needed to talk to those it would affect the most. The last thing Ginny wanted was to put Hermione or any of her friends into seriously uncomfortable situations or force them to relive traumatic memories. She loved Blaise, but she would never jeopardize the mental health of her loved ones.

Hermione was like a sister to her. Unfortunately for her, Draco was Blaise's best mate. Most of the time, Hermione and Draco could be in the same space and the only result would be a sort of tense awkwardness, with each taking extra precaution not to be left alone with the other. At times they could be openly hostile; fighting like cats and dogs, though the insults appeared to have lost some of their severity. Other times they ignored each other entirely, acting as if the other didn't exist at all. On the rarest of occasions, though, the two could actually have civil conversations that sometimes even bordered on pleasant. It was the unpredictability that worried and confused Ginny, how they could go from exchanging pleasantries to trading barbs within seconds, she would never know.

"I'm grateful for your concern," Hermione said kindly, "But I will not have you doubting your relationship simply because Malfoy and I share a tumultuous past. I can handle it; if I couldn't then I wouldn't put myself in any situations with him. What is done is done, and it's between us. It shouldn't affect you and Blaise."

"Ok, if you're sure… just thought I'd check. Though if you don't mind me asking, what changed? You used to loathe each other so intensely, now what?" Ginny asked, her curiosity getting the best of her, "How do you go from hate to neutrality with almost nothing in between, it's got to be so bizarre, right?"

"I'm not sure, honestly. I think we've both said all that we need to," Hermione posited, "I won't lie, it _is _a little strange to be around him now; I never really know which Malfoy I'll have to deal with. At times he's completely different to the Malfoy I knew, and sometimes he's just a prat who seems to actually enjoy provoking me. Either way, it's not like I have to see him all of the time."

"Exactly," Ginny said feeling the weight of the conversation leaving her shoulders. "You know Draco's really not _that _bad once you get to know him and he doesn't feel so threatened," Ginny said thoughtfully. It was the truth, though she never could have imagined it. She had spent enough time around him and his friends to see that there was much more to Draco Malfoy that what meets the eye. Without external stressors Draco could be his own man, a not altogether an unpleasant one at that.

"I'm sure that's the case, but I don't think that's going to happen anytime soon. To be honest, I'd rather have him feel threatened by me than be at his mercy. He may be slightly bearable now, but he's still an arsehole," Hermione said.

"Yeah, but even that arsehole has a girlfriend, someone he actually likes. Hint hint," Ginny said lightly, happy that the conversation could finally switch to a more pressing topic.

Hermione rolled her eyes in response as she turned back around to resume the task of readying for her date.

"You're sure you want to do this?" Ginny asked worriedly, eliciting another eye roll and a sigh from Hermione.

"It's a date, Ginny. I'm not going into battle."

"I can't believe you agreed to this. How could a date with Cormac Mclaggen possibly go well?" Ginny asked spitting out his name as if it were an infectious disease, "You've experienced his creepiness firsthand. I thought you had learnt your lesson from the Christmas party. Tell me, Hermione, how did that turn out?"

Hermione flushed with embarrassment before defending herself and her date, "It's been years since that… incident. He might have matured since then, Blaise did."

Ginny snorted in disbelief, "That is totally different, Blaise was never that bad and you don't even know if Cormac's changed at all, I'd bet every galleon I have on him being an even bigger sleaze than before. Think about it, Cormac was a complete slime ball by the time he reached sixteen. I can't imagine that it's gotten much better for him. I once saw him suck on his fingers, whilst holding eye contact with a girl, in front of an entire table of near strangers. Oh wait, that was you! When this blows up in your face, can I say I told you so?"

"Honestly, Ginny, it's just a date." Hermione exclaimed, "What could possibly go wrong?"

"Do I seriously have to explain date rape to you?" Ginny asked sarcastically.

"That's inappropriate, and in incredibly poor taste," warned Hermione as she put the final touches on her makeup.

"So is Cormac," Ginny muttered, shrugging, "Why can't he keep his tongue in his mouth, ever? What is _that_ about?" She was all for Hermione dating and having a bit of fun, she encouraged it, just not with _him_. It might have seemed harsh, if not completely hyperbolic, to call him a potential rapist, but good friends looked out for their loved ones. If that half-joke forced Hermione to cancel her date, then so be it. Ginny took pride in the fact that she inherited her mother's protectiveness; it could very well end up saving her friend from the clutches of a revolting pervert with permanently glistening lips.

"What about goblin-Oliver?" Ginny asked reminiscently, "What is he up to?"

"You make it sound like he was an actual goblin," Hermione laughed as she disappeared into her bathroom to change into her date attire. Raising her voice just enough for Ginny to hear her in the next room, Hermione said, "You know how I've never introduced him to anyone ever? There's a very good reason for that. Trust me; you wouldn't like him anymore than you do Cormac. Can you do the zipper?" Hermione asked as she made her way back into the bedroom.

Ginny nodded along absent-mindedly, admitting to herself that if there were a worthy man in her friend's life she would have heard about him by now. Mulling over her friend's terrible taste in men, she zipped the dress before turning her around, holding her by the shoulders and telling her in complete seriousness, "Hermione, look at me. I am your friend and that is why I must say this to you. This is a _terrible_ idea; you won't enjoy this at all. At best, you'll have a few new disgustingly funny stories that we can laugh about later. You might even vomit from the mere sight of him in all his greasy, saliva riddled glory. But I want you to know, that no matter what, I told you so," Ginny finished, her voice dripping with faux sincerity.

"Gee, thanks. I'm leaving now, Goodbye Ginevra," Hermione said dryly before disappearing in a swirl, leaving the small pop of apparition behind.

Hours later, Ginny was cuddling on the couch with Blaise as she forced him to watch his very first movie when she saw Hermione materialize out of thin air in the kitchen. The brunette stomped around angrily in the kitchen before emerging with the biggest mug of hot chocolate Ginny had ever seen. Taking note of Hermione's flared nostrils and eyes set ablaze; Ginny raised her eyebrows in a silent question.

"Not. One. Word," was Hermione's stilted answer before she stomped off to her room.

"What was that about?" asked Blaise cautiously once Hermione couldn't hear him.

"I'm always right," Ginny replied with a serene smile as she grabbed a handful of the popcorn, "Remember that, I am _always_ right."

* * *

June 14, 2006

"Shouldn't Hermione be home by now?" Blaise asked, checking his watch again.

"I have no idea why she's not here yet," Ginny said as she sat next to Blaise on the sofa, "She's usually so punctual… What if something happened to her?"

"I'm sure she's fine," Draco drawled, not seeming particularly concerned, while leaning against the fireplace. "She's not even late yet. But so help me Salazar, if we miss our reservation because she couldn't tear herself away from work…"

"We won't," Blaise assured confidently, "They'll wait for us."

Ginny didn't care about the reservation, not really, but tonight was supposed to be a fun get together and if Hermione didn't show up soon things would go south very quickly. Tonight was about celebration, she and Blaise just bought their first house together and would be moving in shortly, the Harpies won the League Cup a week ago, the day of Draco's birthday to be precise, and Blaise and Hermione had each received promotions in the past three weeks. Tonight was the first night the entire gang could get together to officially commemorate their achievements, should Hermione actually appear.

"They better wait for us. Finding another restaurant that could fit all nine of us on such short notice would be a pain in the arse, and I am far too hungry to deal with that," Draco complained, "Wait, its eight now. Millie can't make it; work emergency."

"That's a shame, I was looking forward to seeing her," Ginny lamented, "Ron and Luna aren't coming either."

"Loony's not coming?" Draco said, sounding genuinely disappointed, "I could have used a laugh today. What about scarhead, will he be joining us? He's funny sometimes, in a sad, pathetic way."

"No, he is not. I couldn't bear forcing him to endure your company," Ginny shot back.

"Ha-ha, Weaselette, very funny," Draco quipped sarcastically, "That bespectacled git should count himself as lucky that I was even willing to _allow_ him to attend my birthday celebration."

Ginny wasn't entirely sure where Draco got the idea that tonight was _all _about him, but she was willing to put up with it if it meant him remaining in a somewhat pleasant mood.

Rolling her eyes at Draco's behavior, Ginny turned to Blaise, "Theo and Daphne?"

"Canceled," Blaise confirmed, "Something about Daphne working late and Theo coming down with a cold."

"So they bailed?" Draco asked, unimpressed with his absent friends' excuses.

Blaise's answer was interrupted by Hermione flinging open the door and running to her bedroom while shouting her apologies for her tardiness.

"See? She's alive," Draco pointed out unhelpfully, "Now we just have to wait for her to find something halfway decent to wear and brush the cat hair off of it."

"Yes, that's very clever," Ginny said sarcastically as Draco smiled smugly at his own joke. "Why are you still standing there, you know you can sit down right?"

"And get attacked by that beast?" Draco asked, outraged while eyeing Crookshanks suspiciously, "I think I'll pass, thank you."

He always did this, and it amused Ginny to no end. Crookshanks had never given Draco any reason to mistrust him so much, yet he refused to sit anywhere near the cat. Ginny knew that he wasn't overly fond of animals, but being afraid of an old, lazy cat that hardly registered his presence was taking things a bit far.

"Okay, I'm ready," Hermione said as she entered the room, panting from exhaustion and bending to step into her shoes. She cleaned up surprisingly well in such a short amount of time wearing a simple black dress with her hair tied back loosely. Ginny didn't know why Hermione insisted on dressing like a dowdy librarian most of the time, when she put in a little effort she could be quite stunning, she even saw Draco's gaze linger before he snapped himself out of whatever he was thinking. "Sorry I'm late, work was insane. The new codes for magical beasts came up for review and I-"

"Ugh, no one cares," Draco childishly whined, "I'm starving, let's go. I'm sure you'll tell us all about it at dinner."

"You're here," Hermione flatly remarked, noticing Draco's presence for the first time, "Fantastic."

"Alright, change of plans," Ginny interrupted before the glowering pair could start a fight and make them later than they already were, "It's just the four of us now; sick, work, et cetera."

"Well why didn't you tell me? I got dressed for nothing then," Hermione complained, about to remove her shoes.

"No, we're still going," Ginny replied firmly over Hermione's exaggerated groan, "I am in a good mood, you look good, and we're all hungry; we're celebrating. Come on, it will do you well to finally get out of the flat."

Draco unwisely sniggered openly at the implications of Ginny's statements, prompting Hermione to shoot him a dark glare.

Ginny spoke up before anything could escalate between the two former foes, "Let's go, we don't want to be late!" Ginny grabbed her scowling friend at the elbow and pulled her through the door, sparing Draco from what was sure to have been an extremely painful retaliation.

* * *

As it turned out, the squabbling group of four was not late to their reservation. Not too late, anyway; it helped to have a war hero and a quidditch in your party in addition to two famous names in wizard society. They had been shown to their table and brought beverages in record time.

"So, tell us Granger, why were you so late?" Draco asked after their waitress left with their orders. "I don't appreciate being kept waiting, especially on the eve of my birthday celebration."

"It's not your… oh forget it," Hermione said tiredly before continuing, "I thought you didn't care about my job."

"Oh, believe me, I don't," Draco kindly assured, "Alas, I'm bored; I thought that if you drone on and on about the rights of some hideous monster nobody cares about, then I could fall asleep without being noticed."

"Why, exactly, are Ron and Luna not here?" Hermione asked ignoring Draco's comments, clearly missing the buffer that they provided. Typically in group situations involving her and Draco, Hermione sought out the company of familiar faces, familiar faces that he avoided at all costs.

"Ron said that Luna's back has been bothering her, her feet are enormously swollen, and she's been horribly nauseous. Apparently _all _distinctive smells drive her to sick now," Ginny informed, disgusted at what pregnant women were forced to endure. She felt terrible for her sister-in-law now in her sixth month of pregnancy. As if it weren't enough for her to have to put up with Ron on a daily basis, now she was doomed to one of the roughest pregnancies Ginny had ever witnessed.

"You make that face now, but you two are next to breed," Draco said to Blaise and Ginny.

"I think you're wrong on that one mate, I don't think we could handle a kid until at least a year or two from now," Blaise said casually while Ginny reflected on how quickly the last two years flew by.

"Nope," said Draco, "It's got to be you next, think about it."

"Ugh, kill me," Ginny muttered, as Blaise gave her a surprised look. Not willing to broach the subject of having children with Blaise at dinner, she turned to Draco, "Why has it got to be us next, you don't know what the future holds?"

"Yes I do, my real name is Draco _Trelawney_ Malfoy," Draco deadpanned earning a massive eye roll from Hermione, "I have seen it with my Inner Eye. Actually, it's quite simple; you two are probably the only coupled _and_ childless people of our age group. Remember, a few years ago when it seemed as if thirty classmates all started popping out children around the same time? Plus, Loony and that ginger oaf have a baby weasel already on the way."

"That's my nephew," Ginny said defensively, not surprised that he would insult an unborn fetus.

"Even Saint Potter has his little ward to take care of," Draco said, ignoring Ginny.

"That's your cousin," Blaise reminded him to no avail.

Draco, paid Blaise no mind as he continued, "Theo and Daphne would actually be required to be in the same room to actually produce a child, an impossible task since they've become the busiest people on the planet. Millie isn't seriously dating anyone and has about zero interest in having children anyway. Who else is there?" Draco asked more to himself than his companions, "You're friends with Longbottom aren't you? Though let's be honest, that is definitely _not _happening anytime soon."

"Were you not hugged enough as a kid?" asked Ginny, even though she knew the answer was an obvious and resounding _no_.

Draco continued effortlessly, without missing a beat, "And lastly, we have her," he said bleakly, gesturing to Hermione.

"Leave me out of this, Malfoy," ordered Hermione as she drained her wineglass in preparation for tolerating his unwanted opinions.

"You know I can't do that, _Granger_," he said stressing her surname as he looked upon her with an obviously fake compassionate smile, "I'm afraid this one will be left to a sad, barren future and a life of knitting tiny jumpers for her 'furry babies'," he said to Blaise and Ginny using air quotes.

"Draco, are you quite finished insulting everyone? I'd rather not cause a scene tonight," Blaise said warningly, trying to steer the conversation away from its current destination; a trip to St. Mungo's for Draco.

Undeterred, Draco dropped his voice to a faux sympathetic whisper, "Poor thing, she's always alone; she'll probably _never_ find someone willing to put up with her. Though I suppose that's what happens when 'nagging shrew' is one's first language."

"Piss off, Malfoy. You know I won't hesitate to hex you here and now," threatened Ginny. They had been at each other's throats even more than usual lately, but this was different. It wasn't a casual meaningless dig like usual, this was _mean _and completely uncalled for.

"That's alright Ginny, I got this," Hermione said in a dangerously calm tone, "If nobody will be willing to 'put up' with me, who on earth do you think will want _you_?" Hermione asked coldly, the implications of his past plain in her tone. Ginny had forgotten just how mean Hermione could sound when she wanted to. She could cut people down in as few words as any; Ginny knew this wouldn't be pretty.

Anger flashed in Draco's icy gaze, yet he managed to keep calm façade, "I'm irresistible. Who _wouldn't_ want me?" Draco shrugged, trying desperately to pretend as if he didn't care. He almost succeeded.

"Whatever happened to Astoria Greengrass?" Hermione asked wearing a dangerous grin.

"Do you make it a habit of yours to learn the names of my exes," Draco asked, not giving Hermione the pleasure of flustering him, "Granger, are you obsessed with me?"

Hermione stammered at his accusation, "Wha-… I-… No," she quickly recovered, continuing despite Draco's smirk, "I heard she cheated on you and _that's _why the two of you spilt. Maybe you're not as irresistible as you think if your girlfriend cheated on you with that musician."

Draco, forgetting to maintain his icy cold exterior, rose to her bait almost immediately, "I'll have you know that is an unsubstantiated rumour! No sane woman would cheat on _me_, I have it all; beauty, brawn, brains, and money. I'm quite a catch, I'll have you know!"

"That's the big four," Blaise said to Ginny and Hermione, laughing openly at Draco's outburst.

"Someone's a bit prickly. What's wrong, Malfoy, too touchy a subject? Did I hit a nerve?" Hermione mocked viciously.

The pair continued their verbal sparring, taking little note of their companions watching them curiously. Ginny was completely engrossed in their battle until Blaise nudged her leg, bent closer and lowered his voice to a whisper, asking, "When do you think they'll finally get over it and shag? I'm tired of listening to this every time they're in the same room."

"What?!" Ginny whispered furiously, revolted by the mental image playing in her mind, "They _hate _each other, why would they ever want to … do that with each other?"

Blaise laughed condescendingly at her, "You're telling me you don't see it? Look at them," he prompted, "They can't stop engaging one another long enough to remember that there are other people around. If they truly hated each other as much as they pretend, they would have made conversation with us separately and ignored each other. No, if they truly hated each other that much, they would have killed each other by now. They _want _to get each other fired up; they just don't know why so they pick fights instead. It isn't just today either; they've been fighting like mad for weeks now. There can't be any other explanation. I'm telling you, there's an attraction there. It might not be serious, but it is there. They clearly get under each other's skin, and I'm guessing that it's not all in a bad way either. I think it will happen within the year for sure, the sooner the better too or they'll drive everyone mental. When do you think it will happen?"

Ginny was stunned into silence, a rare occasion to be sure. Blaise brought up some valid points, points she had trouble digesting. _Hermione? As in Hermione Granger? my Hermione? And Malfoy, the ferret? 'Mione and Malfoy?_ She thought numbly. _Hermione and Malfoy? Draco? Draco Malfoy and Hermione? _It was almost too much, she literally could not stop picturing them, thanks to Blaise.

"Gin, love?" Blaise nudged, waiting for her answer.

Ginny glanced back to her friends; they were still engaged in a heated discussion and gesturing wildly, their faces set in determination. Their eyes were afire and trained on each other, shutting out the entire world around them. Their bodies completely facing the other as they leaned closer and closer with each hurled insult as the energy crackled around them. They did have chemistry, Ginny was forced to admit, that fact was undeniable, though she wasn't sure what kind of chemistry that may be. _They could just really hate each other?_ Ginny reasoned to herself. _Blaise could be wrong, he's been wrong before_. Yet somehow even she didn't believe that thought. _There were signs earlier too!_ She had seen Draco leer at Hermione before they left. And Hermione had actually flushed when he asked if she was obsessed with him. This possible attraction between them could only mean one thing… _Oh no, _Ginny thought, _the world is ending._

* * *

**A/N: Again, I'm very sorry about the delayed update. Life got in the way and then the creative drive left me, but I'm back and ready to write. I've also restructured/streamlined some of the story. As much as I'd love to give every character in this story a POV and their own arc, I had to cut it back a little bit and take out arcs that aren't critical to the main storyline. I didn't want to promise things I couldn't deliver or start an arc without finishing it satisfactorily. This leaves some characters (i.e. Ron, George, Charlie) with reduced roles but I think it's for the best. This chapter was actually going to be focused on George and then Charlie was also going to have a POV chapter before the Dramione was brought in, but it just didn't work with the whole story. A Dramione without any Dramione for ten chapters is kind of ridiculous. I still want to write what I have mapped out for them though, so I'm pretty sure I'm going to write their stories as one-shots or short fics after this is finished. Look out for those if you're interested…**

**Blaise and Ginny, I know it's been done before but I couldn't help myself. I love them together, how do you guys feel about it? Blinny is a pretty fun 'ship name', don't you think? I know we don't have much canon-Blaise to work with, but I think his personality could work well with Ginny's. I think he could be the ice to Ginny's fire, as cheesy as that sounds ; ) . I think she could bring a little bit of excitement into his life and he would be strong and secure enough to deal with her fiery nature and reign her in if need be. I also really love the idea of Ginny dating a Slytherin. I think it would work; they probably wouldn't be overly-chivalrous (a la Gryffindor Dean) but would still respect her and treat her like a lady in a non-condescending way, it is the house of tradition after all. I don't see Ginny doing too well with a Ravenclaw in a romantic relationship, and I think she would just end up steamrolling a Hufflepuff who dared to get in her way. Does that make sense? **

**So… Dramione has been brought in sooner than I had anticipated. Like it? Hate it? Their interaction might seem a little bit too comfortable right now, but I'd like to point out that this chapter takes place roughly eight years post-war during which they have seen each other regularly and have had time to let go of the past a bit. The dust has settled, so to speak, and they have to at least play nice for the sake of their friends, even though they seem to have a skill for pushing each other's buttons. And perhaps there's some grudging fondness between them, who knows… **

**Virtual high-fives to anyone who can find my super secret pop culture reference hidden in this chapter.**

**As always, thanks for reading and sorry about the essay-length A/N! I promise the next chapter will be up soon.**


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